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WHITE- 

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WHITE:     OAK 
PADIAL  TAMGErNTUL 

COMMON    WOODS 


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I^AHO^aANY  """ 

RADIAXL  TANGtNTlAL 

COMMON    WOODS 


BOOKS  BY  WILLIAM  NOYES 

Handwork  in  'Wood 

^X^ood  and  Forest 

design  and  Construction   in   \(/ood 


DESIGN  and  CONSTRUCTION 
IN  ^VOOD 


Y. 


©y  WILLIAM  NOYES 

Assistant  Professor  of  Industrial  Arts 

Teachers  College,  Columbia  University 

NEW  YORK  CITY 


The  Manual  Arts  Press 

Peoria,  Illinois 

19  16 


806TON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
CHESTNOT  HILL,  MASS. 


133354 


TT 

./v/7Jr 


COPYRIGHT 

WILLIAM  NOYES 

1913 

THIRD  EDITION,  1916 


FOEEWORD 

The  purpose  of  the  following  studies  is,  (I)  to  give  to  be- 
ginners in  woodworking  an  opportunity  for  the  acquisition  of  skill 
in  the  handling  of  tools,  and,  (II)  some  practice  in  designing  sim- 
ple projects  in  wood. 

I.  This  series  of  projects  is  not  offered  as  a  hard  and  fast 
course.  The  training  of  the  hand  does  not  depend  upon  following 
a  fixed  order,  like  a  course  in  geometry.  Many  roads  lead  to  the 
goal.  This  course  claims  to  be  a  practical  one  because,  tho  con- 
stantly changed,  it  has  been  a  successful  one.  No  greater  misfor- 
tune could  befall  a  course  in  handiwork  than  that  it  should  be  stere- 
otyped. Indeed,  my  chief  misgiving  in  publishing  the  course  is  lest 
it  seem  to  have  found  final  shape. 

To  obviate  this  impression,  other  projects  involving  the  same 
or  similar  processes  are  suggested,  and  illustrated. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  course  here  outlined  is  so  planned  that : 

1.  A  variety  of  woods  is  employed,  each  appropriate  for  its  par- 
ticular project.  They  are:  cypress,  whitewood,  maple,  white  pine, 
mahogany,  chestnut,  hickory,  sweet  gum,  oak,  and  black  walnut. 

2.  In  genera],  the  technical  processes  involved  increase  in  diffi- 
culty thru  the  series,  but  esthetic  considerations  are  not  sacrificed 
to  this  formula. 

3.  Several  types  of  construction  are  employed,  involving  such 
joints  as :  end-lap,  rubbed,  miter,  uiiddle  cross-lap,  doweled  butt, 
and  ledge. 

4.  A  few  simple  processes  in  copper  working  are  included  because 
their  employment  considerably  extends  the  range  of  useful  and  orna- 
mental projects  available. 

5.  A  variety  of  finishes  is  suggested,  including  several  methods 
of  staining,  as  well  as  the  use  of  such  polishes  as  oil,  wax,  and 
shellac. 

In  a  word,  the  course  involves  a  considerable  variety '^of.  experience 
in  technical  processes. 

9 


The  attempt  is  here  made  to  reduce  the  practice  of  the  shop  to 
words  and  pictures,  in  order  that  it  may  be  available  to  those  who 
must  work  alone.  The  author,  however,  does  not  at  all  presume  to 
believe  that,  however  helpful  books  may  be  to  the  worker,  they  can 
ever  fill  the  place  of  individual  instruction  and  demonstration. 

11,  In  this  series  all  but  two  of  the  projects,  the  picture-frame- 
clamp  and  the  mallet,  are  such  as  to  invite  the  worker  to  create 
his  own  designs.  To  this  end  a  considerable  number  of  suggestive 
illustrations  are  introduced.  Design  may  begin  with  pure  imitation, 
but  it  never  ends  there.  It  is  my  hope,  therefore,  that  as  the  stu- 
dent worker  proceeds  thru  the  series,  he  will  more  and  more  freely 
design  good  things.  Some  general  suggestions  for  help  in  designing 
will  be  found  in  Chapter  II,  and  these  are  supplemented  in  each 
succeeding  chapter  by  concrete  application  of  the  general  principles 
to  the  project  in  hand. 


10 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Wood    13 

II.  Wood,  A  Medium  of  Artistic  Expression 21 

III.  Equipment 29 

IV.  A  Scrap-Basket 35 

V.  Picture-Frame-Clamp 59 

VI.     The  Mitered  Picture-Frame 65 

VII.     The  Candlestick 83 

VIII.     Taboret 99 

IX.     Mallet 115 

X.     Trays 123 

XI.     Polling  Blotter-Holder 133 

XII.     Small  Boxes 137 

XIII.     Lanterns 147 

Index 158 


11 


Chapter  I 
WOOD 

Next  to  food  and  clothing,  wood  is  to  man  the  most  useful  of 
substances,  and  there  is  no  other  single  substance  that  has  as  great 
a  variety  of  human  uses.  The  prosperity  of  any  nation  is  largely 
measured  by  its  timber  supply,  and  hence  we  see  the  extraordinary 
efforts  now  being  made  by  progressive  nations  to  conserve  their 
forests.  Today  the  lumber  industry  is  the  fourth  largest  industry 
in  the  United  States,  and  any  intelligent  person  can  quickly  make 
a  list  of  scores  of  uses  to  which  wood  is  put.  Two-thirds  of  the 
people  of  the  United  States  live  in  wooden  houses  and  half  of  the 
population  burn  wood  as  fuel. 

One  of  the  most  useful  qualities  of  wood,  namely  its  combusti- 
bility for  fuel,  also  constitutes  one  of  its  most  serious  disadvantages; 
it  is  not  fireproof.  On  the  other  hand,  until  it  is  actually  burned 
thru,  it  retains  its  stiffness,  a  fact  that  is  not  true  of  hot  steel. 
It  is  because  of  its  destructibility  by  fire,  as  well  as  by  insects  and 
deca}',  that  attempts  are  constantly  made  to  find  substitutes  for  it. 
But  even  in  spite  of  the  employment  of  such  substitutes  as  cement 
and  steel  in  constructive  work,  its  use  is  constantly  increasing. 

Most  of  our  paper  is  made  of  wood  and  practically  all  our  fur- 
niture. Its  great  utility  depends  upon  such  qualities  as  its  size,  its 
strength,  its  lightness,  its  ease  of  working,  its  elasticity,  its  hardness 
and  its  beauty.  When  wood  is  to  be  used  for  building  or  other  con- 
structive work,  then  its  size  is  of  great  importance,  while  in  work 
requiring  only  small  pieces,  other  qualities,  such  as  hardness,  or 
permanence  of  shape,  are  determining  factors.  The  strength  of  wood 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  a  hickory  bar  will  stand  more  pull  than  a 
wrought  iron  bar  of  equal  length  and  weight,  and  a  block  of  long-leaf 
pine  will  stand  nearly  as  much  crushing  weight  as  a  block  of  cast 
iron  of  equal  height  and  weight.  Hickory  is  so  tough  that  no 
substitutes  for  it  in  wheel-spokes,  handles  and  similar  articles  which 
have  to  stand  constant  blows,  have  as  yet  been  found.     The  hardness 

13 


14  DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 

and  elasticity  of  such  woods  as  oak  and  maple  make  them  suitable 
for  floors.  Some  wood,  like  spruce,  that  is  both  light  and  strong,  is 
used  for  ladders  and  poles  and  canoe  paddles. 

For  ease  of  working  and  permanence  of  shape,  no  wood  compares 
with  white  pine,  "the  King  of  Woods,"  but  unfortunately  this  spe- 
cies is  now  becoming  scarce.  For  the  making  of  furniture,  two  woods 
now  hold  supremacy,  oak  and  mahogany.  This  is  due  partly  to  their 
beauty,  but  also  to  their  strength.  The  oak  is  native;  the  mahogany 
is  imported. 

One  of  the  most  useful  characteristics  of  wood  is  its  ease  of  being 
joined  together  by  nails,  screws,  glue,  etc.  Woods  differ  greatly  in 
this  respect,  white  pine,  yellow  poplar,  and  bass  being  very  easy  to 
nail,  while  oak,  hickory,  maple,  and  ash  are  difficult  to  nail  without 
splitting.  In  general,  the  tough  elastic  woods  split  badly  in  nail- 
ing, while  the  soft  brittle  woods  nail  well.  Hence,  with  some 
woods,  before  nailing,  special  precautions,  like  boring  holes,  have 
to  be  taken.  On  the  other  hand,  woods  like  oak  and  maple,  which 
are  difficult  to  nail  can  be  very  securely  joined  together  by  means  of 
screws.  Certain  woods,  notable  among  which  are  mahogany  and 
white  pine,  can  be  glued  together  with  remarkable  tenacity.  This 
susceptibility  to  the  cohesive  action  of  glue  is  a  most  useful  character- 
istic of  all  our  common  woods.  Soft  woods  glue  much  better  than  hard 
woods. 

One  quality,  possessed  by  all  wood,  is  of  serious  disadvantage, 
namely  its  sensitiveness  to  moisture.  It  shrinks  when  dry  and 
swells  when  wet.  This  necessitates  particular  care  in  certain  forms 
of  construction  and  in  methods  of  finishing.  The  shrinkage  of  wood 
is  to  be  explained  by  its  internal  structure.  Wood  is  composed  of 
"cells"  or  fibers,  which  are  long,  slender  tubes,  thru  which,  during 
the  life  of  the  tree,  the  sap  passes.  The  cells  formed  during  the 
spring  of  each  year  grow  large  with  thin  walls,  and  those  formed 
in  the  summer  grow  smaller  with  thick  walls.  A  layer  of  spring 
wood  and  of  summer  wood  together  form  an  "annual  ring"  as  seen 
in  a  cross-section  of  a  log,  or  stripes,  as  seen  in  a  longitudinal  sec- 
tion. Eunning  across  these  up-and-down  cells  and  radiating  out 
from  the  center  of  the  tree  are  other  cells  called  "pith  rays,"  some- 
times very  large,  as  the  "silver  flakes"  in  oak  (see  frontispiece), 
sometimes  very  minute  as  in  pine.  They  serve  to  bind  the  annual 
rings  together  and  often,  as  in  beech,  sycamore  and  oak,  add  great 


WOOD 


15 


Fig-.  1.  Boards  usually  warp  in  the  di- 
rection opposite  to  that  of  the  usual  rings 
in  them. 


beauty  to  the  grain  of  the  wood.     Now  wood  shrinks  because  the 
walls  of  the  cells   which   compose  it  become   thinner  as   they   dry. 
For  some  unknown  reason  wood  cells  do  not  become  shorter,  so  that 
wood     shrinks     very    little     in 
length.  This  peculiarity  is  made 
use  of  in  constructing  doors  and 
in  other  panel  constructions. 

Wood  shrinks  most  cir- 
cumferentially,  that  is,  in  the 
direction  of  the  annual  rings, 
and  somewhat,  radially.  This 
explains  why  boards  often  warp 
as  they  do,  that  is,  in  the  direc- 
tion opposite  to  that  of  the  an- 
nual rings  in  them  (Fig.  1).  A 
board  is  said  to  be  "warped" 
when  one  side  shrinks  more  than 
the  other.  This  warping  is  some- 
times due  to  the  fact  that  one  side  is  drier  than  the  other.  In  such  a 
case  the  board  can  often  be  straightened  by  drying  the  other  (con- 
vex) side.  But  usually  the  warp- 
ing is  due  to  the  direction  of 
the  annual  rings  in  it.  A  "comb 
grain"  or  "rift"  board.  Fig.  2, 
which  is  cut  radially  in  the  log, 
is  less  likely  to  warp  than  a 
"slash  grain"  or  "bastard"  board 
which  is  cut  from  the  side  of 
the  log. 

It  is  partly  for  this  reason 
that  much  fine  lumber  is  "quar- 
ter sawed,"  Fig.  3.  That  is,  ra- 
dial boards  are  sawn  out  first,  di- 
viding the  log  into  quarters 
which  are  then  sawed  up  as 
nearly  radially  as  is  consistent  with  economy.  In  some  woods,  as  in 
oak  and  sycamore,  the  beauty  of  the  grain  caused  by  the  exposure 
thus  made  of  the  pith  rays,  is  an  additional  reason  for  quarter 
sawing.     See  frontispiece. 


Figr.  2. 


Comb  grain    board;    B^   Slash 
grain  board. 


16 


DES1G^^  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Fig-.  3.     Common  method  of  quartering-  log-. 


Disadvantageous  as  the  shrinking  and  swelling  of  wood  is  for 
most  purposes,  it  is  sometimes  made  use  of,  as  in  splitting  soft 
stone  by  means  of  wetting  wedges  which  have  been  driven  into  bor- 
ings in  the  stone. 

The  beauty  of  wood  depends 
largely  upon  the  '^gvaiji/'  a  terra 
which  means  several  things.  Us- 
ually the  grain  of  wood  means 
the  pattern  formed  by  the  dis- 
tinction between  the  spring 
wood  and  the  summer  wood. 
Hence,  according  to  the  ^^figure" 
formed,  wood  may  be  straight 
grained,  crooked  grained,  wavy 
grained,  curly  grained,  or  bird's 
eye.  The  term  "grain"  may  also 
refer  to  the  appearance  caused 
by  the  presence  of  the  "pith 
rays,"  as  in  oak,  (see  frontis- 
piece), or  to  the  peculiar  changing  reflection  of  light  due  to  cross 
grain  as  in  mahogany.  The  terms  coarse  grain  and  fine  grain  may 
refer  respectively  either  to  the 
width  of  the  annual  rings  or  to 
the  presence  or  absence  of  pores'. 
Wood  is  sold  by  the  board 
foot;  that  is,  the  unit  of  measure- 
ment is  a  board,  one  inch  thick, 
one  foot  long,  and  one  foot  wide, 
or  144  cubic  inches,  Fig.  4.  A 
simple  method  of  measuring  is  to 
multiply  the  length  in  feet  by  the  width  and  thickness  in  inches  and 
divide  by  12.  For  example  1"  (thick)  X  8"  (wide)  X  10'  O"(long)-^ 
12=6' 8"  B.M.  (board  measure).  Boards  less  than  one  inch 
thick  are  calculated  as  one  inch.  Dressed  lumber,  that  is,  planed  on 
both  sides,  comes  3/16"  less  in  thickness  than  sawn  lumber.  For  ex- 
ample, boards  sawn  1"  thick  are  planed  to  13/16".     For  all  ordin- 

^A  fuller  discussion  of  this  subject  will  be  found  in  the  author's  Wood 
and  Forest,  Chapter  I.     The  Manual  Arts  Press,  Peoria,  III. 


Fig^.  4.     A  board  foot. 


WOOD  17 

ary  purposes  it  is  economical  to  buy  13/16"  stuff.   For  thinner  boards 
one  may  have  this  resawn  at  the  mill.'' 

Following  are  descriptions  of  a  few  common  varieties  of  wood. 

As  an  aid  to  their  recognition,  see  the  illustrations,  frontispiece. 

White  pine  has  been  the  most  useful  of  all  trees  in  the  United 
States.  The  wood  is  one  of  the  easiest  and  most  satisfactory  to  work, 
owing  to  its  uniformity  of  grain.  For  all  purposes  that  require  a 
wood  that  shrinks  and  checks  but  little  and  holds  its  shape  well, 
such  as  molding  patterns,  window  sashes,  cores  of  doors  and  cabinet 
work,  white  pine  is  unrivaled.  It  is  very  light  and  soft,  and  is  of 
medium  strength,  elasticit}^,  and  durability.  It  splits  easily  but  nails 
well.  In  color  it  is  light  brown,  almost  cream  color.  The  grain  is 
not  noticeable  and  has  no  particular  beauty.  Hence  when  used  for 
house  trim  it  is  usually  painted.  Its  former  abundance  made  it 
cheap  and  it  has  therefore  been  used  so  recklessly  that  now  it  is  be- 
coming scarce.  Red  pine  is  often  sold  with  and  for  white  pine. 
Price  in  N.  Y.  C,  1913,  $120  per  M  (thousand). 

Cypress  is  a  soft,  easily  worked  wood,  that  does  not  warp  badly 
but  is  likely  to  contain  many  fine  checks.  It  nails  well  and  is  very 
durable.  Hence  it  is  much  used  for  shingles,  posts,  railway  ties,  and 
conservatory  construction.  As  seen  in  slash  grain  boards,  it  is  often 
beautifully  figured  by  the  fine  lines  of  summer  wood  between  the 
broader  spaces  of  spring  wood.  It  has  a  reddish  brown  color  and  no 
resin  ducts.  Its  beauty  makes  it  a  desirable  wood  for  interior  finish 
and  for  many  pieces  of  furniture.    Price  in  N.  Y.  C,  1913,  per  M.  $65. 

Spruce  is  a  straight  grained,  strong,  light,  elastic,  and  rather 
soft  wood,  which  shrinks  and  warps  but  little,  is  easy  to  plane  and 
saw,  but  hard  to  chisel  neatly  across  the  grain  because  the  spring 
wood  is  so  much  softer  than  the  summer  wood  that  it  crushes  before 
it  cuts.  It  nails  fairly  well.  It  is  used  chiefly  for  construction,  for 
ladders,  for  paddles,  and  other  articles  requiring  both  strength  and 
lightness  and,  preferably,  for  paper  pulp.  It  is  the  wood  from  which 
sounding  boards  are  made  because  it  is  very  resonant.  It  can  be  sub- 
stituted for  many  uses  of  pine.  The  color  is  dull  white,  and  the 
rings  not  noticeable.  Very  strong,  light,  furniture  can  be  made  of  it. 
Price,  in  N.  Y.  C,  1913,  $50  per  M. 

'Further  information  about  measuring  lumber  can  be  found  in  the  au- 
thor's Handwork  in  Wood,  pp.  48  and  109.  The  Manual  Arts  Press,  Peo- 
ria, 111. 


18  DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 

White  oak  is  now  the  wood  most  commonly  used  for  interior  fin- 
ish and  furniture.  It  is  very  strong,  quite  heavy  and  elastic,  and 
hard.  It  is  rather  hard  to  work  and  to  nail,  and  checks  and  warps 
considerably,  unless  carefully  seasoned;  but  when  once  worked  up 
is  without  a  rival  on  account  of  its  strength  and  beauty.  The  color 
is  a  light  brown.  The  rings  are  plainly  defined  by  pores,  which 
make  a  pleasing  pattern  in  slash  sawn  boards.  Its  great  distinction 
lies  in  the  pith  rays,  which  are  broad,  conspicuous,  and  irregular. 
They  are  often  an  inch  or  more  wide  and  many  inches  long.  These 
rays  are  very  hard,  almost  like  horn.  They  are  brought  to  plainest 
view  in  radial  (or  rift)  boards,  and  hence  quarter  sawing,  tho  un- 
economical, is  commonly  practiced  to  obtain  the  most  effective 
"grain."  As  the  wood  is  becoming  more  scarce,  inferior  species  are 
mixed  in,  smaller  trees  are  cut,  and  radial  veneers  are  more  and 
more  used.  In  staining,  the  pores  absorb  much  more  color  than 
the  summer  wood  or  the  pith  rays,  and  hence,  no  wood  is  capable 
of  such  contrasts  of  grain  when  stained  as  oak.  Price  in  N.  Y.  C, 
1913,  $135  per  M. 

White  ash  is  a  heavy,  strong,  elastic,  hard  wood,  used  especially 
for  handles  of  farm  tools,  oars,  barrels,  etc.  It  splits  badly  in  nail- 
ing. It  is  used  considerably  for  inside  finish  and  furniture  both  on 
account  of  its  strength  and  the  beauty  of  its  figure  when  slash  sawn. 
The  "grain"  is  due  to  the  massing  of  the  pores  in  the  spring  wood. 
It  is  the  hardest  and  best  of  the  ashes.  Black  or  brown  ash  is  much 
easier  to  work,  and  is  sufficiently  strong  for  most  furniture.  Price, 
in  N.Y.C.,  1913,  $85  per  M. 

Yellow  poplar  or  white  wood  grows  with  a  tall  straight  trunk 
unsurpassed  in  grandeur  by  any  other  eastern  American  tree.  This 
furnishes  clear  knotless  boards,  often  15"  to  18"  broad.  It  is  a  gen- 
eral utility  wood,  largely  taking  the  place  once  held  by  white  pine, 
and  is  used  for  cheap  furniture,  interior  trim,  and  carriage  bodies. 
It  is  light,  brittle,  soft,  easy  to  work,  nails  very  well,  has  medium 
strength,  and  does  not  warp  badly  when  properly  handled.  The  pith 
rays  are  quite  noticeable,  but  are  not  made  much  use  of  for  decora- 
tive purposes.  The  rings  are  distinct  but  not  prominent,  and  the 
color  is  greenish  or  yellov/  brown.  It  is  a  good  wood  to  keep  in  stock 
for  all  sorts  of  purposes,  and  an  ideal  wood  to  carve.  In  the  south, 
magnolia  is  often  sold  with  and  for  yellow  poplar.  They  belong  to 
the  same  family.     Price  in  IS^.  Y.  C,  1913,  $80  per  M. 


WOOD  19 

Sweet  gum.  Except  for  one  quality,  sweet  gum  would  be  one  of 
the  most  useful  woods.  It  has  an  even  texture,  is  comparatively  easy 
to  work,  takes  a  beautiful  finish  and  polishes  well,  is  an  ideal  wood 
for  carving,  and  with  a  little  care  can  be  nailed  well.  It  has  a 
beautiful  chocolate  hue  varied  by  uneven  deposits  of  coloring  matter. 
But  it  twists  and  warps  more  than  any  other  common  wood,  and  hence 


^^^^^^H^^^^^^*^ 

Fig-.  5.    Clamping  up  boards  to  keep  them  from  warpin^jr. 

for  commercial  purposes  is  largely  used  in  veneers.  For  small  articles 
of  household  use,  it  is  an  excellent  wood.  Price  in  N.  Y.  C,  1913, 
$75  per  M. 

Mahogany  is  a  general  name  covering  a  number  of  species,  all  of 
which  are  imported.  The  chief  varieties  are  Central  American  ma- 
hogany, African  mahogany,  Mexican  mahogany,  East  Indian  mahog- 
any ( Vermillion  wood  or  padouk),  and  Spanish  cedar.  These  varie- 
ties are  somewhat  alike  in  color,  a  reddish  brown,  the  annual  rings 
are  inconspicuous,  the  pores  are  scattered,  and  few  woods  take  glue 
better.  They  vary  considerably  in  hardness,  in  difficulty  of  nailing, 
and  in  shade  of  color.     The  common  uses  are  furniture  and  interior 


20  DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 

finish.  The  grain  is  very  likely  to  be  variable,  causing  a  very  pleas- 
ing, changeable,  reflection  of  light.  Price  in  N.Y.C.,  1913,  $185  per  M. 

In  the  following  studies,  the  woods  just  described  will  be  recom- 
mended. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  explicit  directions  for  laying  in  a  supply 
of  wood.  Some  varieties  of  wood  may  be  plentiful  in  certain  places, 
others  may  be  scarce  and  hence  expensive.  Some  workers  may  be  able 
to  obtain  the  wood  in  nearly  the  sizes  wanted;  others  may  be  com- 
pelled to  purchase  whole  boards.  Some  may  have  a  dry  storage  room 
of  ample  size,  as,  for  instance,  an  attic;  others  may  be  compelled  to 
store  their  lumber  in  a  damp  cellar.  In  general  it  may  be  said 
that  one  should  buy  only  what  he  can  take  good  care  of.  Where  any 
quantity  of  lumber  is  stored,  it  should,  if  possible,  be  "stacked,'^  that 
is,  piled  flat,  each  board  separated  from  its  neighbors  by  small  cross 
sticks  to  allow  free  circulation  of  air.  If  possible,  there  should  be  a 
weight  on  the  top  board.  Where  only  a  few  boards  are  to  be  put  un- 
der pressure,  it  is  often  convenient  to  clamp  them  together  with 
hand  screws,  as  in  Fig.  5. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Filibert  Roth.  Timber.  Bulletin  No.  lo,  of  the  Forestry  Service,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  (May  be  secured  from  the  Supt.  of  Documents,  Washington, 
D.  C,  for  IOC.)  A  brief,  accurate,  and  non-technical  but  comprehensive 
study  of  the  structure  and  properties  of  woods,  with  a  description  of 
common  varieties  and  a  key  to  their  study. 

Katherine  Golden  Bitting.     Woodcraft,  June-Sept.  'o6. 

William  Noyes.     Wood  and  Forest.     Manual  Arts  Press,  Peoria,  11:. 


Chapter  II 
WOOD   A  MEDIUM   OF  ARTISTIC   EXPEESSION 

Projects  in  wood  that  admit  of  artistic  variation  are  subject  to 
the  same  fundamental  principles  of  design  that  underly  all  the  space 
arts.  The  constant  problem  of  the  artistic  woodworker  is  to  famil- 
iarize himself  with  these  principles.  One  way  of  doing  this  is  the 
keen  observation  of  their  application  by  past  and  present  masters  in 
wood.  Familiarity  with  the  masterpieces  of  woodwork  in  other  ages 
and  lands  will  give  additional  zest  and  interest  to  the  application  of 
these  principles.  For  instance,  the  hand  workers  in  wood  of  Italy, 
Spain,  France,  England,  Scandinavia,  and  Japan,  have  much  to 
teach  us  in  line,  proportion,  and  construction. 

The  other  way  of  learning  these  principles  of  the  space  arts  is 
by  repeated  application  of  them  in  constructive  work.  Only  in  the 
latter  way  does  the  worker  come  to  realize  the  limitations  of  his  own 
medium.  The  production  of  beautiful  objects  acquires  a  much  more 
lively  interest  when  good  taste  and  the  ability  to  design  are  developed 
along  with  manipulative  skill  in  execution.  On  the  other  hand,  tne 
acquisition  of  skill  becomes  of  vastly  greater  importance  if  it  is  used 
as  a  means  of  creating  things  of  beauty. 

In  a  word,  artistic  judgment  and  skill  of  hand  develop  best  when 
they  develop  together.    Each  justifies  and  ennobles  the  other. 

In  the  making  of  the  following  projects,  where  ample  opportun- 
ity is  given  both  to  design  and  to  construction,  the  meaning  of  beauty 
as  related  to  wooden  structures  should  grow  clearer  as  the  articles 
suggested  are  worked  out.  Experience  here,  as  elsewhere,  is  the  best 
teacher. 

It  is  not  to  be  inferred,  however,  that  one  can  safely  hope  to  im- 
prove thru  self-criticism  alone.  The  dangers  of  going  off  at  a  tan- 
gent are  too  great.  In  design,  even  more  than  in  construction,  the 
critical  assistance  of  a  competent  teacher  is  invaluable.  The  con- 
stant appeal  for  help  to  superior  artistic  judgment  is  the  surest  path 
to  good  taste. 

21 


22  DESIGN   AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   AVOOD 

The  underlying  principles  of  the  visual  arts  have  been  clearly 
stated,  tho  not  in  identical  terms,  by  several  writers,  and  as  the 
principles  herein  suggested  for  the  woodworker  are  based  upon  the 
broader  principles  common  to  all  space  arts,  the  reader  is  strongly 
urged  to  familiarize  himself  with  them.  They  are  well  analyzed  and 
illustrated  in  the  following  books: 

Arthur  W.  Dow  :    Composition. 

Denman  W.  Ross :     Theory  of  Pure  Design. 

Ernest  A.  Batchelder :     Design  in  Theory  and  Practice. 

George  Lansing  Raymond :    Proportion  and  Harmony  of  Line  and  Color. 

Lewis  F.  Day :     The  Application  of  Ornament. 

The  properties  of  the  particular  medium  thru  which  art  is  ex- 
pressed present  to  the  artist  certain  limitations  which  he  must  recog- 
nize. This  in  no  way  suppresses  creative  expression,  but  rather  dis- 
ciplines it. 

The  following,  then,  are  the  possibilities  and  the  limitations 
within  which  the  woodworker  may  revel: 

1.  In  the  first  place,  the  thing  to  be  made  should  in  itself  appeal 
to  the  craftsman  as  something  worth  while  and  interesting  to  make. 
For  instance,  scrap-baskets,  pict are-frames,  desk-trays,  hanging  lan- 
terns, and  such  familiar  objects  as  are  frequently  seen  or  handled, 
should  call  forth  the  worker's  best  effort. 

2.  The  article  to  be  made  should  be  so  designed  and  constructed 
as  to  be  structurally  sound.  Nothing  is  completely  beautiful  which 
is  poorly  constructed.  The  joints  of  a  frame  should  not  open  with 
varying  temperature  and  humidity.  A  chair  should  be  so  con- 
structed as  to  hold  the  weight  and  strain  ordinarily  expected  of 
chairs,  for  an  indefinite  time,  or  as  long  as  the  wood  lasts.  A  hun- 
dred years  is  not  too  long  to  expect  a  chair  to  be  of  service.  Many 
last  longer. 

3.  The  form  of  the  article  should  frankly  indicate  the  material; 
wood  should  not  be  made  to  look  like  metal  or  stone.  Appropriate- 
ness of  shape  to  material  should  be  so  obvious  that  there  would  be 
no  mistaking  a  wooden  candlestick  for  one  of  pottery  or  brass. 

4.  The  structure  of  the  article  should  be  recognized  or  even 
emphasized,  but  not  contradicted.  In  wooden  structures  this  prin- 
ciple has  to  do  primarily  with  the  matter  of  joints.  Joints  may  in 
many  cases  be  made  obvious,  as  in  the  decorative  use  of  fastenings. 


WOOD   A    MEDIUM   OF   ARTISTIC    EXPRESSION  23 

SO  that  there  is  no  mistaking  the  form  of  construction.  In  cases 
where  the  joint  is  concealed,  the  principle  stated  would  demand  that 
there  be  no  pretense  of  a  form  of  construction  that  does  not  exist, 
as,  for  example,  when  a  false  keyed  mortise-and-tenon  joint  is  stuck 
on  where  the  pieces  are  actually  doweled  together.  In  a  word,  the 
construction  should  be  honest,  and  if  it  is  obviously  honest,  it  may 
be  all  the  better. 

5.  The  article  should  also  be  convenient  for  use.  The  socket  of  a 
candle  stick  should  be  of  the  proper  size  to  hold  ordinary  candles. 
A  pen-tray  should  be  long  enough  to  hold  pens  and  pencils  and 
should  not  be  easily  upset.  A  chair  seat  should  be  the  right  distance 
from  the  floor,  and  the  rail  in  front  should  be  high  enough  to  allow 
the  sitter  to  slip  his  feet  under  it  and  so  rise  easily.  The  require- 
ments of  convenience  set  limitations  to  design.  Proportions  must 
conform  to  intended  use. 

6.  Lastly,  when  an  interesting  object  has  been  chosen,  when 
proper  materials  and  sound  construction  have  been  determined  upon, 
when  it  has  been  planned  for  convenience  in  use,  so  that  the  size  and 
shape  are  approximately  fixed,  then  the  sense  of  beauty  plays,  as  it 
were,  with  these  possibilities,  feeling  for  the  most  satisfying  propor- 
tion of  parts  to  whole  and  parts  to  each  other,  trying  one  arrange- 
ment after  another,  studying  how  to  secure  a  rhythmic  repetition  of 
the  same  motive,  how  to  break  up  an  outline  or  a  surface  harmon- 
iously into  principal  and  subordinate  parts,  and  how  to  keep  it  as 
a  unit  well  balanced. 

In  analyzing  more  particularly  what  it  is  with  which  the  crafts- 
man plays  in  creating  beauty  in  these  little  wooden  structures,  four 
considerations  are  of  prime  importance:  (1)  mass,  (2)  line,  involv- 
ing light  and  shadow,  (3)  color,  (4)  finish. 

1.  Mass.  The  first  consideration  is  the  appearance  of  the  object 
as  a  whole.  It  is  to  be  thought  of  as  a  silhouette,  as  an  object  stand- 
ing between  the  observer  and  the  light,  so  that  the  general  propor- 
tions are  obvious ;  that  is,  the  relation  of  width  to  height,  of  part  to 
whole,  and  of  part  to  part,  including  a  consideration  of  vacant  spaces 
as  well  as  occupied  spaces,  should  be  clearly  defined.  Seen  or  imag- 
ined from  this  point  of  view,  the  details  are  lost,  no  lights  or  shad- 
ows are  conspicuous,  but  only  the  general  mass.  It  must  have  the 
beauty  that  one  sees  when  the  trees,  rocks,  and  hills  are  silhouetted 


24  DESIGN   AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 

in  a  pattern  of  pleasing  proportions  against  a  twilight  sky.  In  other 
words,  the  first  and  fundamental  esthetic  test  and  requisite  is  that 
the  proportions  as  a  whole  should  be  pleasing. 

The  basket,  candlestick,  lantern,  and  so  on,  which  in  the  follow- 
ing pages  are  suggested  for  making,  are  studied  from  this  point  of 
view;  they  are  planned  to  keep  the  height  and  width  and  depth  in 
pleasing  relation  each  to  each,  and  to  so  proportion  open  with  closed 
spaces  as  to  secure  an  artistic  arrangement  of  parts.  In  other  words, 
the  composition  made  by  placing  the  object  against  a  lighter  or  dark- 
er surface  should  be  pleasing  in  dark  and  light. 

2.  Line.  When  these  general  masses  and  spaces  are  approxi- 
mately determined,  the  next  step  is  to  fix  the  character  of  their 
boundaries.  The  outlines  are  to  be  refined  and  embellished,  and 
here  we  may  have  all  the  variety  that  lies  between  that  severity  of 
line  found  in  the  earlier  European  furniture — whether  Scandinavian, 
Italian,  Spanish  or  English,  and  the  elaborateness  of  carved  and 
turned  and  fluted  styles,  such  as  is  characteristic  of  the  later  Eliza- 
bethan or  Gothic  furniture.  How  simple  or  how  intricate,  how  bold 
or  how  delicate  the  lines  shall  be,  depends  partly  upon  the  nature  of 
the  material,  partly  upon  the  skill  and  the  judgment  and  the  taste  of 
the  craftsman,  and  partly  upon  the  use  to  be  made  of  the  object. 

The  nature  of  the  line  affects  directly  the  high  lights  and  shad- 
ows that  appear  when  the  object  is  well  lighted.  Good  lines  will 
produce  interesting  notes  of  light  and  dark.  They  will  "catch  the 
light''  and  "throw  shadows"  at  pleasing  rhythmic  intervals,  making 
interesting  patterns  in  "notan"^  This  is  the  merit  of  artistic  mold- 
ings, turned  work,  carving,  and  inlay,  that  they  make  possible  intri- 
cate and  diversified  compositions  of  dark  and  light  (and  in  the 
case  of  inlay,  of  color),  that  are  impossible  in  severe,  plain  styles. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  attractiveness  of  plain  forms  lies  in  their 
very  simplicity.  Moreover,  as  the  plainer  early  European  or  Japan- 
ese styles  involve  fewer  elements  to  be  spaced,  the  chances  for  the 
beginner  to  get  better  designs  in  them  is  greater  than  in  the  more 
elaborate  styles.  So,  until  considerable  mastery  in  handling  space 
relations  in  wooden  structures  is  gained,  the  beginner  is  advised  to 
work  in  the  spirit  of  these  plainer,  simpler  styles. 


^Notan — a  Japanese  term  meaning  dark-and-light. 


WOOD   A   MEDIUM    OF   ARTISTIC    EXPRESSION  25 

3.  Color.  Thirdly,  there  is  the  consideration  of  color.  The  nat- 
ural hues  of  the  woods  give  a  considerable  variety,  ranging  from  the 
light  yellow  brown  of  oak,  chestnut,  and  ash,  to  the  reds  of  mahog- 
any and  the  purples  of  walnut  and  sweet  gum.  All  of  these  can  be 
greatly  modified  artificially  by  stains  or  by  chemical  processes.  (See 
the  author's  Handwork  in  Wood,  pp.  209-214.) 

The  problems  in  color,  both  in  hue  and  value,  is  that  of  harmony 
with  surroundings.  No  piece  of  furniture,  however  small,  should  be 
considered  as  a  thing  by  itself.  It  is  to  be  treated  as  one  element  that 
will  enter  into  the  composition  of  a  beautiful  room,  and  upon  its 
harmony  therewith  will  depend  its  own  beauty. 

As  regards  the  color  of  furniture,  it  may  be  said  in  general  that 
the  esthetic  tendency  is  away  from  yellow  tones.  These  are  all  the 
harder  to  avoid  on  account  of  the  yellowness  of  the  common  finishes, 
varnish  and  shellac.  The  best  that  can  be  done  by  amateurs  is  to 
gray  the  yellow  by  fuming  or  staining.  On  the  other  hand,  a  frank 
yellow  tone  may  be  appropriate  and  effective,  as,  for  instance  in  a 
blue  setting. 

4.  Finish.  The  fourth  element  of  beauty  in  wood  is  finish.  The 
simplest  and  oldest  process  is  rubbing  with  or  without  oil  or  wax, 
Avhich  only  emphasizes  the  quality  of  wood  as  wood.  The  more  mod- 
ern finishes,  varnish  and  shellac,  succeed  in  "bringing  out  the  grain,'' 
but  at  the  expense  of  making  a  surface  that  looks,  not  like  wood,  but 
like  glass.  Unlike  glass,  however,  varnish  is  easily  marred.  To  keep 
the  shining  surface  perfect,  demands  constant  protection  and  care, 
and  suggests  that  such  pieces  are  made,  not  to  use,  but  to  look  at. 

It  may  frequently  happen  that  in  order  to  secure  a  desired  ef- 
fect of  mass  or  line  or  color,  the  design  or  construction  originally 
adopted  may  have  to  be  reconsidered  and  something  else  substituted 
that  will  give  a  satisfying  harmony.  Each  feature  is  thus  to  be  de- 
cided tentatively,  subject  to  such  modifications  as  other  features  may 
demand  in  securing  unity  of  design  for  the  structure  when  complete. 

Altho  the  steps  mentioned  seem  to  give  the  logical  procedure  in 
building  all  sorts  of  things,  whether  foot-stools,  chairs,  or  thrones, 
trussed,  arched,  or  suspension  bridges,  dog-kennels,  cottages,  or  cas- 
tles, yet  a  little  reflection  and  observation  will  show  that  one  or 
another  of  these  steps  has  frequently  been  omitted.  The  library  of 
one  of  our  famous  universities  is  a  good  illustration  of  a  beautiful 


26  DESIGN   AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 

building  poorly  planned  for  its  use.  Utility  is  sacrificed  to  good 
proportion.  On  the  other  hand,  the  so-called  typewriter  chair  is  a 
model  of  convenience  and  comfort,  but  it  will  never  find  a  place  in  a 
museum  as  a  thing  of  beauty.  Utility  has  not  yet  been  cast  in  pleas- 
ing line  and  tone. 

The  following,  then,  is  suggested  as  a  logical  method  of  proced- 
ure in  designing  simple  wooden  structures.  In  actual  experience  it 
is  not  necessary  to  decide  these  points  in  this  order,  or  in  any  order, 
but  in  general  these  are  the  items  that  should  receive  deliberate  con- 
sideration at  some  time  between  the  conception  and  completion  of  an 
artistic  structure. 

I.  The  fixing  of  essentials,  or  of  those  points  that  make  for  an 
article's  convenience  in  use.  Under  this  head,  such  matters  as  the 
following  are  determined : 

a.  The  approximate  or  definite  size. 

b.  The  kind  of  wood  to  be  used.     Each  has  a  quality  that 

makes  its  characteristic  appeal  for  certain  construc- 
tions. See  Chapter  I,  also  Chapter  III,  Wood  and 
Forest. 

c.  The  construction,  including: 

(1)  Kind  of  joint  or  joints. 

(2)  Methods   of   opening   and   shutting   or   locking. 

(3)  Appliances   for  lifting  or  moving  or  hanging, 

and  so  on. 
II     The  refining  of  proportions. 

a.  Of  the  mass  as  a  whole. 

b.  Of  each  part  to  the  whole. 

c.  Of  each  part  to  each  other  part. 

d.  Of  each  line  within  itself,  if  it  curves  or  is  a  broken 

line,  or  is  turned  on  a  lathe. 

III.     Decoration.    This  relates  to  the  decorative  treatment  of  the 
surface. 

a.  Carving,    border    or  surface     (all-over)     patterns    in 

gouged  lines  or  modeled. 

b.  Panels,  carved  in,  or  constructed  in. 

c.  Inlay  or  veneer. 

d.  Designing  of  accessories — handles,  knobs,  key  plates,  es- 

cutcheons, etc. 


WOOD    A    MEDIUM    OF   ARTISTIC    EXPRESSION  27 


IV. 

Finish. 

a.     Stain. 

b.     Paint. 

c.     Oil. 

d.     Wax. 

e.     Shellac,  including  French  polish. 

f.     Varnish. 

In  general,  the  order  in  designing  suggested  above  has  been  fol- 
lowed thrnout  the  making  of  the  following  articles.  The  illustra- 
tions used  are  largely  photographs  or  sketches  of  articles  designed 
and  executed  by  my  students. 

However,  the  possibilities  for  original  design  that  lie  within  the 
range  of  these  few  objects  of  household  use  still  invite  the  designer. 
There  is  here  no  intention  of  a  cut  and  dried  series  of  models,  but 
rather  such  a  presentation  of  what  some  of  the  possibilities  of  these 
projects  are,  that  others  to  whom  wood  appeals  as  a  medium  of  ar- 
tistic expression  will  be  stimulated  to  create  still  more  varied  and 
beautiful  objects  for  our  common  every-day  life.  Or,  feeling  not 
too  sure  of  his  ability  to  create,  the  beginner  may  choose  from  the 
following  suggestions  the  ones  he  likes  best,  in  itself  an  exercise  of 
artistic  judgment,  and  copy  them.  And  so,  little  by  little  in  the 
effort  to  re-create  others'  designs  that  are  known  to  be  good,  he  may 
come  to  create  good  designs  of  his  own.  Or,  at  the  very  least,  which 
is  also  much,  thru  this  thoughtful  copying  of  good  things,  he  will  be 
helped  in  his  desire  to  appreciate  beauty  in  wooden  structures. 


28 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


Fig-.  6.    A,  Mortise-and-tenon  consiruciion  in  frame  of  bench; 
B,  Draw-bolt  construction. 


Chapter  III 
EQUIPMENT 

The  equipment  necessary  for  beginning  to  work  in  wood  may  be 
very  inexpensive,  costing  not  more  than  $25.  It  is  better  to  begin 
with  a  few  good  tools,  well  chosen,  adding  to  the  number  others  as 
they  are  needed.  The  total  cost  of  a  first  class  equipment  need  not 
exceed  $50.00. 

It  is  rarely  wise  to  buy  the  sets  already  made  up  in  cabinets,  for 
the  lists  given  often  include  cheap  and  dispensable  tools,  and  the 
quality  is  apt  to  be  not  the  best.  One  can  soon  learn  to  make  a  cabi- 
net to  fit  his  own  tools.  It  is  wise  to  consult  one's  local  hardware 
dealer  before  buying  as  well  as  those  firms  that  have  made  a  spe- 
cialty of  handling  woodworking  equipments  for  schools  and  ama- 
teurs. The  latter  have  special  facilities  for  furnishing  the  proper 
high  grade  tools.  The  names  and  addresses  of  reliable  firms  may 
be  found  in  the  advertising  pages  of  any  of  the  educational  journal s\ 

The  following  tools  are  recommended  for  the  individual  equip- 
ment of  a  beginner^: 

The  bench.  The  essential  features  of  a  good  bench  are:  (1)  Ri- 
gidity. This  may  be  secured  in  a  bench  made  with  either  mortise- 
and-tenon-joints.  Fig.  6,A,  or  draw-bolt  construction.  Fig.  6,B.  The 
bench  should  be  firmly  fastened  to  the  floor  by  lag-screws  passing 
thru  the  two  foot  pieces. 

(2.)     A  maple  top  with  trough  at  the  back. 

(3)  A  low  tool  rack,  that  is,  one  not  above  the  top  of  the  bench, 
which  does  not  obscure  the  light  and  is  not  in  the  way  for  large  work. 

(4).  A  good  vise.  The  strongest,  most  durable,  and  most  con- 
venient are  the  rapid-acting  vises,  with  the  working  parts  of  metal, 
which  require  an  occasional  oiling. 


*For    descriptions    and    illustrations   of    tools    see   Handwork   in    Wood, 
Chapter  II.     Manual  Arts  Press,  Peoria,  111. 

^For  school  equipment  see  Handwork  in  Wood,  Chapter  VI. 

29 


30  DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 

The  jaws  of  the  vise  should  be  faced  with  maple.  Sometimes 
there  are  two  vises,  a  side  vise  and  a  tail  vise.  The  latter  is  exceed- 
ingly convenient  for  certain  kinds  of  work. 

There  are  various  benches  and  vises  on  the  market.    Among  other 
good  ones  are  those  of  the  following  firms : 
E.  H.  Sheldon  &  Co.,  182  Nims  St.,  Muskegon,  Mich. 

The  Denver  model   (1  rapid-acting  vise),  price $  9.50 

The  Omaha  model  (2  rapid-acting  vises),  price 14.25 

A.  L.  Bemis,  Worcester,  Mass. 

Sloyd  Bench  No.  4,  price 15.00 

This  has  an  iron  vise,  not  quick  acting,  and  a  tail  clamp. 
Richards-Wilcox  Mfg.  Co.,  Aurora,  111. 

No.  260.  1,  side  vise  only 12.00 

No.  260.  2,  side  and  tail  vise  16.00 

Hammacher,  Schlemmer  &  Co.,  4th  Av.  and  13th  St.,  New  York,N.Y. 

No.    L    $  8.50 

No.    J    12.50 

No.    K    20.00 

These  benches  at  this  price  are  all  equipped  with  a  side  and  a 
tail  vise,  the  last  with  a  Toles  rapid-acting  vise.  The  rapid-acting 
vise  adds  about  $6.00  to  the  cost,  and  by  special  order  they  may  be 
attached  to  any  standard  bench.  Among  the  many  rapid-acting  vises 
on  the  market  are  the  W.  C.  Toles,  Irving  Park,  Chicago,  111.;  The 
Abernathy  Vise  &  Tool  Co.,  233  W.  62d  Place,  Chicago,  111.;  The 
Herriman  Co.,  15  S.  Canal  St.,  Chicago,  111.;  the  Eichards-Wilcox 
Co.,  Aurora,  111. 

A  very  good  arrangement  is  to  have  a  rapid-acting  side  vise,  and 
w^ood-screw  tail  vise. 

In  a  word,  the  bench  and  vise  may  cost  from  $8.00  to  $20.00. 
The  tools": 

1  Stanley    jack-plane    No.    5 $  1.75 

1  Stanley  block-plane  No.   65  1/2    80 

1  Iron   spokeshave.   No.    54    25 

^This  list  is  made  up  from  Hammacher,  Schlemmer  &  Co.'s  catalog  No. 
355.  For  pictures  of  these  tools  consult  any  of  the  books  mentioned  in  the 
bibliography. 


EQUIPMENT  31 

1  Stanley  ''Bed  Rock''  smooth-plane,  No.  603' 1.60 

*1  Stanley  rabbet-plane  and  filletster,  No.  78^ 1.10 

1  Disston's  Crosscut-saw,  No.  9,  32"  10  points 1.15 

1  Disston's  Eip-saw,  No.  9,  22",  8  points   1.15 

1  Disston's  back-saw.  No.  4,   10"    95 

*1  Turning-saw  in  frame  14",  3/16"  blade 90 

1  Buck  Bros,  firmer  chisel,  l",  handled  and  sharpened..  .35 
1  Buck  Bros,  hrmer  chisel,  ^",  handled  and  sharpened.  .  .25 
1  Buck  Bros,  firmer  chisel,  Y\\  handled  and  sharpened..  .20 
1  Buck  Bros,  firmer  chisel,  J4",  handled  and  sharpened.  .        .20 

1  Hammond's  adze-eye  hammer,  No.  3,  7  oz 45 

*1  Bound    hickory   mallet.    No.    4 12 

1  Hardened  blade  try-square.  No.  5^,  6" 25 

1  Beech  marking-gage.   No.    64^^,   8" 20 

1  Sloyd  knife,  No.  7,     2^/"  blade 30 

or  a  good  pocket  Imife. 

1  Medium  hard  lead  pencil  (No.  2) 05 

1  Boxwood  rule,  2',  4-fold 12 

*1  Disston  sliding  T-bevel,  No.  3,  6" 25 

*1  Pair  Starrett's  dividers,  winged.  No.  92,  8" 75 

1  Veneer  scraper^  No.  80 .       .70 

2  Molding  scrapers.  No.  2  and  No.  7 15 

1  Half-round  wood  file,  K  and  F,  8",  handled 20 

1  Rat-tail  wood  file,  K  &  F,  8",  handled 20 

1   Slim  taper  triangular  file,  6" 10 

1  Disston's  Back-saw  in  frame   14",  3/16"  blade 90 

*1  Outside-bevel  gouge.  Buck  Bros.,  firmer,  No.  8,  handled 

and  sharpened,  1"    35 

*1  inside-bevel  gouge,  regular  sweep.  No.  10,  Y^' 45 

*1  Addis  carving  tool,  3/16",  No.  11,  round  maple  handle       .38 

1  Barber's  ratchet  brace.   No.   33,   8"   sweep 1.40 

1  Miter-box,  beech,  12"  long,  No.  00 30 

Better  ones  are   Olmstead's  Patent  No.   3 1.25 

*  Miller's  Falls  Co.  No.  15^ .' 4.50 


^If  desirable  to  reduce  expense  substitute   No.  603   for  both  No.  5  and 
No.  655^. 

*The  tools  marked  *  are  not  essential  for  beginning  work  and  may  be 
purchased  later. 


32  DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN   WOOD 

Still  larger  ones  are  the  Stanley  No.  240,  and  the  Langdon 
Acme,  No.  68,  which  cost  about  $9.00. 

1  Set  twist  bits,  (3/32",  4/32",  5/32",  6/32",  7/32") 64 

1  Set  Russell    Jennings   auger-bits    (4/16",   5/16",   6/16", 

7/16",  8/16")    1.40 

*1  Clark's  expansive  bit,  ^4"  to  1>4"    57 

1  Eose  countersink.  No.  10,  ^" 25 

*1  Screwdriver-bit,  ^",  round  blade  4"  long 16 

4  Bradawls,  handled,  1",  1^",  lYz" 15 

1   New  Century  screwdriver,  4" 16 

1  0.  K.  Nailset,  1/16" 07 

*2  Carpenter's  steel  bar  clamps,  3' 3.20 

*2  Aldrich's  oiled  handscrews.  No.  16,  10" 80 

*1  Glue-pot    50 

1  Glue-brush,    >^"    15 

1  Glass-cutter,  No.  10 27 

1  Flat  varnish  brush.  No.    54,   1^",  hard,  rubber-bound, 

(for  shellac)    30 

2  Cheap  tin-bound  brushes,  EE,  1" 10 

*1  Pike  Peerless  junior  tool-grinder 4.00 

or  1  Eobertson's  concave  tool-grinder    (The  Robertson 

Drill  and  Tool  Co.,  Buffalo,  N.Y.)    5.00 

or  1  Niagara  No.  10  Carborundum  tool-grinder 10.00 

or  1  Empire  tool-grinder  (The  Empire  Tool  Co.,  Albany, 

N.   Y.)' 2.80 

1   Carborundum  oilstone,  medium  and  coarse  combined,  in 

iron  box   1.15 

1   quire  sandpaper.  No.  00 30 

1  quire  sandpaper,  No.  1 .30 

Supplementary  list  of  metalworking  tools : 

1  hand-drill.  No.  04 1.40 

Drills,  Morse's,  No.  17,  1  each,  Nos.  10,  15,  20,  25,  30,  35, 

40,  45,  50,  55,  60 71 

1  Iron  vise,  Parker's  No.  30,  oval  slide 1.15 

*It  is  well  to  learn  to  grind  one's  own  tools  as  early  as  possible,  but  the 
expense  of  the  grinder  may  be  saved  if  there  is  another  available,  in  a 
neighboring  shop. 


8O6T0N  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
OHESTNOT  H/LL.  MASS. 


EQUIPMENT  33 

1  Pair  end  cutting  nippers,  No.  154,  5" 88 

1  Pair  Compton's  metal  snips,  No.  12,  2" 63 

1  Pair  flatnosed  pliers.  No.  1806>^,  5" 58 

1  Mill  bastard  file,  8",  safe  edge,  handled 15 

1  Mill  smooth  file,  8",  safe  edge,  handled 15 

Wood  Stains.  It  is  well  to  begin  with  some  simple  stain,  already 
prepared.    Among  such  on  the  market  are : 

Craftsman  Stain,  dark  brown.  No.  2,  1  quart  for  $1.00,  Syra- 
cuse, N.  Y. 

Devoe  &  Eeynolds,  Penetrating  Oil  Stain,  1  quart  for  70c,  101 
Fulton  St.,  N.Y. 

The  Bridgeport  Wood  Finishing  Co.,  Penetrating  Oil  Stain,  1 
pint,  20c,  155  Fulton  St. 

Wax.  The  easiest  finish  to  apply  and  repair  is  wax.  A  conven- 
ient prepared  form  is: 

Bridgeport  Wood  Finishing  Company's  Old  Dutch  Finish,  price, 
25c  a  pint. 

Supplies.  Nails,  screws,  etc.,  are  now  commonly  put  up  in  con- 
venient packages,  and  would  better  be  purchased  as  needed.  Explicit 
directions  will  be  given  in  each  lesson  as  to  what  to  obtain.  A  box 
divided  into  compartments,  or  a  set  of  boxes  so  divided,  which  may 
be  stacked  in  a  set  of  drawers,  will  add  greatly  to  the  convenience  of 
handling  nails  and  screws.  Until  this  is  provided  they  may  be  kept 
in  their  paper  packages'**. 

Glue.  "Star"  glue  (imported)  is  the  strongest,  but  it  sets  quickly. 
Peter  Cooper's  White  Glue  is  excellent,  and  comes  in  convenient  form. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

William    Noyes.      Handzvork    in    Wood.      Manual    Arts    Press,    Peoria,    111. 
Price,  $2.00. 

Hammacher,   Schlemmer  &  Co.,   Tools,  Catalogue  No.  355,   N.  Y.,  4th  Ave. 
and  13th  St. 

Ira  S.   Griffith.     Essentials  of   Woodworking.     Manual   Arts   Press,   Peoria, 
111.     Price,  $1.00. 

"For  descriptions  of  the  various  common  fastenings,  see  Handzvork  in 
Wood. 


—3 


34 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


Fig-.  8.     Four  sided  basket  with  corners  cut. 


Chapter  IV 
A  SCEAP-BASKET 


In  designing  a  scrap-basket,  matters  for  early  consideration  are: 

I.     The  fixing  of  the  essentials, 
a.     Of  these  the  size  must  be  approximately   determined  at  the 
beginning.     For  ordinary  purposes  a  waste-basket  should  not  be  more 
than  18"  or  less  than  14"  high,  depending — so  far  as  looks  go — upon 

the  size  of  the  desk  beside  which       _^ 

it  is  likely  to  stand.  As  to 
breadth,  it  may  be  properly  be- 
tween 7"  and  10",  depending  on 
the  height.  The  shape  may  be 
square,  Fig.  9,  the  easiest  con- 
struction ;  or  six  sided.  Fig.  7 ; 
or  eight  sided;  or  square  with 
the  corners  cut,  Fig.  8. 

b.  The  next  point  to  de- 
cide is  the  kind  of  wood  to  be 
used.  Pine  is  easier  for  a  be- 
ginner to  work,  but  it  is  more 
expensive  than  cypress  or  spruce. 
Cypress  is  softer  than  spruce 
and  hence  easier  to  work,  and 
lias  a  pleasing  grain.  On  the 
other  hand,  spruce  is  stronger. 
Take  it  all  in  all,  cypress  an- 
swers more  requirements.  The 
more  expensive  and  harder  cab-  ^^^-  ^-   scrap-basket. 

inet  woods,  oak   and   mahogan}^,   are  all   right  for  the   experienced 
worker. 

c.  As  to  the  construction,  the  simplest  is  the  best;  the  slats  are 
nailed  to  the  flat  bottom  and  to  a  frame  consisting  of  a  band  of  cleats 
at  or  near  the  top.     If  the  cleat  is  made  as  in  Fig.  9  this  band  or 


lf:i 


...MMtems* 

^■4^ 

*".  m 

,mt, 

(^m  ap^-.-* 

r 

- 

I 
i 

1 

t 

; 

m 

M 

i 

U 

h 

m 

35 


36 


DESIGN   AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   V.OCD 


rail  may  be  boxed  together  very  strongly  with  an  end-lap  joint  as 
described  below.  If  the  rail  is  outside  the  slats,  a  miter  joint  should 
be  used  for  appearance  sake,  Fig.  10.  If  the  top  is  finished  with  a 
nosing,  as  in  Figs.  10  and  17,  the  frame  will  serve  as  a  ready  means 
of  lifting  the  basket.     On  the  other  hand,  if  the  basket  is  finished 

with  the  frame  inside  it  is  more 
conveniently  lifted  if  handles 
of  wood  or  copper  or  leather 
are  added  on  two  opposite  sides. 
See  Figs.  8  and  11. 

II.  Proportions.  With  these 
essentials  fixed,  we  pass  to  the 
refining    of   the    proportions. 

The  proportion  of  width  to 
height  should  be  subtle,  not  ob- 
vious, as  1  to  2  or  2  to  3.  The 
width  may  be  increased  by 
clianging  the  number  of  the 
slats  or  the  spaces  between 
them.  To  vary  the  width  of  the 
slats  themselves  increases  the 
difficulty  of  planing  which,  for 
a  beginner,  is  better  kept  easy. 
Various  arrangements  of  slats 
are  shown  in  the  illustrations. 
A  variety  of  designs  is  possible  by  changing  the  position  and 
v.'idth  of  the  frame.  By  putting  it  at  the  very  top  of  the  slats  with 
a  mitered  nosing  over  both  slats  and  cleats,  a  neat  substantial  fin- 
ish is  obtained.  Fig.  13.  If  the  frame  is  lowered,  some  of  the  slats 
may  be  cut  to  different  lengths  and  so  shaped  as  to  m.ake  a  pleasing 
outline  at  top  and  bottom.  Fig.  19.  By  the  same  method  a  handle 
may  be  introduced.  Fig.  15. 

III.  Decoration.  Several  features  may  be  added  for  decorative 
purposes  as,  for  example,  feet  at  the  corners,  perhaps  with  a  little 
line  carving.  Fig.  9 ;  lacing,  instead  of  nailing  at  the  corners.  Fig.  7 ; 
not  to  speak  of  the  handles  already  mentioned.  For  those  who  have 
facilities  for  working  in  copper,  well  designed  handles  and  corner 
braces  give  an  added  charm  to  the  appearance  of  the  basket. 


1.'  ■ 

w 

■■^^■^                                                                                                                <Mi^ 

p 

,,1 

;:|f-~ 

^ 

Fig-  10.      Basket  with  mitered 
frames  at  top  and  bottom. 


A   SCRAP-BASKET 


37 


The  use  of  upholstery  nails,  or  large  copper  tacks  (12  oz.),  with 
the  heads  hammered  into  knobs  or  filed  square,  gives  an  artistic  touch. 
See  Figs.  7,  8,  11,  12,  13,  18. 

IV.  The  Finish.  The  stain  chosen  should  make  the  basket  har- 
monize with  its  surroundings.  Soft  browns  and  grays  are  the  safest. 
Dull  red  or  gray-green 
may  be  suitable.  Finally 
the  basket  may  be 
waxed  or  oiled  as  de- 
scribed below. 

The  following  direc- 
tions describe  the  mak- 
ing of  the  basket  shown 
in  Fig.  9. 

The  scrap  basket  is 
chosen  for  the  first  pro- 
ject because  it  involves 
much  sawing  and  plan- 
ing, both  of  which  pro- 
cesses it  is  essential  to 
master  at  the  outset. 
Moreover  the  planing 
is  chiefly  narrow-sur- 
face planing,  which  is 
easier  for  the  beginner 
than  broad  -  surface 
planing.  Furthermore, 
when  the  project  is  suc- 
cessfully completed,  it 
is  worth  having.    The  following  materials  are  required : 

Spruce,  cypress,  or  yellow  poplar 

2  pieces,  %"x8"xi6"  I  ,         ,    -/./   o/.     /    // 

;,     „   ^„       yor  I  board,   /^  x8  x4  o 
I  piece,  %  x8  x8         \ 

I  piece  heavy  tin,  2"x2^" 

I  pkg.  wire  brads,  %",  No.  i8 

i6flathead  wire  nails,  ^",  No.  i8. 

8  doz.  metalene  upholstery  nails,  brown  or  green.    No.  220 

or  copper  tacks,  12  oz. 

I   small  can  penetrating  oil  stain,  brown  or  green 

I  tin  prepared  wax 


Fig,  11.     A  handle  well  designed  for  use  and  beauty. 


38 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


I.     Getting  out  material.     For  this  first  project  select  a  piece  of 
wood  that  is  free  from  knots,  and  smoothly  planed  on  both  sides. 

The  first  step  is 
to  get  2  pieces, 
16"  long  and  8" 
wide.  If  you  can 
get  them  exactly 
16"  long  at  a 
mill,  do  so;  ex- 
])erience  in  mak- 
ing lengths  will 
come  better  later 
after  some  prac- 
tice in  handling 
tools.  If  yon 
must  get  out  the 
proper  lengths 
yourself,  buy  one 
board  4'  0"  long, 

Fi^'-.  12.     Slats  and  nail  heads  arraog-ed  in  rhythmic  order.  and      prOCCcd      aS 

follows:  Select  the  straightest 
edge  of  the  board,  and  with  the 
help  of  the  try-square,  draw  a 
pencil  line  at  right  angles  to 
this  straight  edge  far  enough 
from  one  end  to  avoid  any 
"checks"  (splits)  that  may  be 
there.  Place  the  board  across 
two  boxes  or  other  support,  let- 
ting the  marked  end  project. 
Put  your  left  knee  or  foot  on 
the  board  to  steady  it,  and 
with  the  crosscut-saw  (see 
Ilandivorh  in  Wood,  p.  61), 
saw  off  the  end  of  the  board 
just  outside  of  the  mark.  Fig. 
20.  Be  careful  when  you  near- 
ly reach  the  end  of  the  cut  to 

FiL*--  13.      Basket  with  ends  of  x     Ji  i        <?     ji         i  i 

slats  covered  with  mitered  nosing  SUpport     tllC     CUd     ot     the     board 


A   SCRAP-BASKET 


39 


with  your  left  hand,  so  that  you  may  cut  clean  to  the  edge.    In  a  sim 
ilar  way,  cut  off  two  other  pieces  a  little  more  than  16"  long. 

Mark  one  broad  surface  for  a  "work- 
ing face.''  (See  Handwork  in  Wood,  p. 
72.)  If  the  board  is  slightly  warped, 
mark  the  concave  side. 

II.  Planing  the  edges.  The  next 
step  is  to  plane  one  edge  of  each  16" 
piece  perfectly  straight  and  square  with 
a  broad  surface.  To  do  this  proceed  as 
follows:  Put  one  piece  in  the  vise,  long 
edge  up,  and  clamp  it  firmly.  Attend  to 
the  adjustments  of  your  jack-plane. 
(See  Handwork  in  Wood,  pp.  69-72.)  Of 
these,  there  are  3  principal  ones.  1,  the 
cap  (2)'  to  the  cutter  (1)  ;  2,  the  Y  ad- 
justment (7)  ;  3,  the  lateral  adjust- 
ment (9). 

Let  us  assume  that  the  cutter  is 
sharp.  (If  not,  see  Handwork  in  Wood, 
p.  59).  In  the  first  place,  the  "cap"  or 
curling  iron  (2)  should  be  screwed  tight 
to  the  cutter  (1)  so  that  the  edge  of  the  cap  is  about  1/16"  back 
from  the  edge  of  the  cutter.     Drop  these  two  into  the  throat  (19) 

of  the  plane,  cap  up,  in  such  a 
way  that  the  rectangular  hole  In 
the  cap  fits  over  the  end  of  the 
"Y  adjustment"  (7).  The  clamp 
(4)  is  now  buttoned  over  the 
clamp  screw  (5)  and  the  thumb 
piece  or  clamp  lever  (20) 
pushed  down  tight.  'Now  turn 
over  the  plane  and  look  along 
the  "sole"  as  in  Fig.  21,  and  see 
that  the  cutter  barely  projects. 
Fig-.  15.   A  broad  substantial  basket.  ^ou  should  scc  it  as  a  thin  black 


g.  14.  A  deep  basket  with  feet 
made  by  shortening  the  central 
slats. 


^These  numbers  refer  to  the  numbers  of  the  parts  as  given  in  Fig.   loi 
of  Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  69. 


40 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


line  across  the  shiny  surface  of  the  sole,  Fig.  22.  If  it  projects  too 
far,  bring  it  back  by  turning  the  brass  set-screw  (8).  If  one  cor- 
ner projects  more  than  the  other, 
adjust  it  by  means  of  the  lever  for 
lateral  adjustment  (9).  Now  try 
the  plane  on  the  wood.  Grasp  the 
handle  (11)  firmly  in  the  right 
hand,  and  the  knob  (12)  firmly  in 
the  left  hand.  Place  the  bottom  or 
sole  (16)  on  the  edge  of  the  piece 
in  the  vise,  so  that  only  the  toe  (17) 
(the  part  in  front  of  the  cutter), 
rests  on  the  wood.  Press  down  hard 
on  the  knob  and  push  the  plane  for- 
ward. When  the  plane  rests  firmly 
on  the  wood^  press  equally  on  the 
knob  and  handle  and  then  as  the 
toe  passes  off  the  wood,  press  only 
on  the  handle.  Finish  the  stroke 
with  a  slight  upward  swing  of  the 
plane.  Be  especially  careful  not  to 
press  down  on  the  heel  (18)  at  the 
beginning  or  on  the  toe  at  the  end  of  the  stroke.  If  you  do,  the  sur- 
face which  you  are  planing  will  not  be  straight  but  convex.  Test 
the  edge  with  the  straight  arris  (the  external  angle  formed  by  the 
union  of  two  surfaces)  of  the  plane,  looking  to- 
ward the  light.  (Fig.  23.)  If  the  light  does 
not  come  evenly  between  the  edge  of  the  board 
and  the  arris  of  the  plane,  plane  off  only  the 
high  part.  Now  test  the  edge  for  squareness, 
pressing  the  head  of  the  try-square  firmly 
against  the  side  of  the  board  and  sliding  it 
doAvn  until  the  blade  just  touches  the  edge. 
Fig.  24.  Do  this  at  several  points  along 
the  edge,  noticing  which,  if  either,  arris  is  higher 
than  the  other.  If  the  left  hand  arris  is  higher, 
take  off  a  shaving  along  that  arris  using  only 
the  right  half  of  the  cutter,  that  is,  letting  the 


Fig-.  16,  Basket  with  plaia  copper 
handles  and  corner  braces  and  with  feet 
of  carved  blocks. 


w- 


<L 


Il¥ 


u 


-^^ 


Fig-.  17.     Neat  finish  for 
top  of  scrap-basket. 


A    SCRAP-BASKET 


41 


f}j 


Fig".  18.     Basket  with  copper  handles  and 
copper  nails. 


Fig.  19.     Basket  with  copper 
handles  and  nails. 


^  4 


Fig.  20.    Using-  a  crosscut  saw. 


Fig-.  21.    Sighting-  along  the  sole  of  the  plane 
to  see  that  the  cutter  is  properly  adjusted. 


42 


DESIGX  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


left  side  of  the  sole  of  the  plane  overhang  the  board  more  than  the 
right  side,  Fig.  25.  But  do  not  let  it  wobble.  Eepeat  these  tests 
and  cuts  until  the  edge  is  both  straight  and  square.     If  the  surface 


1        1          .'      ,1 

Righ  t  way      Wrong  m/y 

Fig-.  22.     Adjustment  of  plane  cutter;  sighting  along  sole  of  plane,  as  in  Fig.  21. 

you  are  planing  appears  torn  and  not  gloss}^,  you  are  planing  "across 
the  grain."    In  that  case  simply  reverse  the  piece. 

Eepeat  this  operation  on  the  other  similar  16"  piece.     Put  a  pen- 
cil mark,  thus  =,  on  this  edge  for  identification. 

If  you  obtained  your  pieces  from  the  mill  exactly  16"  long,  and 
sawed  square,  the  next  two  steps 
may  be  omitted.  If  you  sawed 
off  the  two  pieces  yourself,  their 
ends  must  be  squared.  To  do 
this  fasten  one  piece  in  the  vise, 
end  up.  Cut  off  diagonally  with 
the  knife  or  chisel  the  arris 
(corner)  away  from  the  edge  al- 
ready planed  for  about  ^J",  as 
shown  in  Fig.  26. 

The  surface  formed  by  cut- 
ting off  an  arris  is  called  a 
cliamjer. 

Set  your  plane  a  little  fiiier 
than  for  planing  with  the  grain, 
and  plane  this  end  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  arrow,  observing 
the  same  precautions  as  before. 
This  end  must  now  be  tested  not  only  for  straightness  and  for  square- 
ness with  the  surface,  but  for  squareness  with  the  edge  already  planed, 


Fig  23.      Testingjthe  stiaightness 
of  an  edge  with  the  arris  of  the  plane. 


A    SCRAP-BASKET 


43 


Fig-.  24.     Testing-  an  edge  for  squareness. 


Yig.  27.     ^ext  measure  exactly  16"  from  this  end  and,  with  a  sharp 
knife-point  and  try-square,  draw  a  fine  line  at  right  angles  to  the  fin- 
ished edge.    Saw  off  the  surplus  outside  of  this  line.     Cut  off  the  arris 
away  from  the  finished  edge  and 
proceed  as  before. 

Finally  plane  the  other  edge, 
taking  pains  to  make  it  perfectly 
parallel  to  the  first  edge.  Repeat 
all  these  processes  on  the  other 
16"  piece. 

III.  Laying  out  the  slats. 
We  are  now  ready  to  lay  out 
the  slats  for  the  basket.  This 
is  done  by  drawing  gage  lines 
on  the  two  opposite  faces  of 
both  boards.  To  do  this  pro- 
ceed as  follows: 

The  lines  are  to  be  drawn 
as  shown  in  Fig.  28.    The  spur' 

of  the  marking-gage  should  project  from  the  beam  about  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  and  should  be  sharpened  (filed)  to  an  edge  as  shown  in  Fig. 
29,  and  in  FlandworJc  in  Wood,  Fig.  212.  By  having  the  spur  long 
and  turning  the  beam  of  the  gage  so  that  it  rides  on  an  arris,  the 
spur  will  mark  smoothly  and  evenly.     Holding  the  marking-gage  in 

the  left  hand,  and  the  rule  in 
the  right  hand  (See  Handwork 
in  Wood,  Fig.  213),  set  the  dis- 
tance from  the  head  of  the 
marking  -  gage  to  the  spur 
at  3/16"  and  tighten  the 
thumb-screw.  Now  hold  the 
board  with  the  left  hand  and 
the  gage  in  the  right  hand 
(Fig.  214,  Handwork  in  Wood). 
Be  careful  not  to  grasp  the 
beam  as  if  it  were  a  handle,  but 
turn  the  wrist  to  the  left  so 
that  the  thumb  presses  on  the  beam  behind  the  spur.  Do  not  try  to 
make  a  scratch  at  first,  but  run  the  gage  up  and  down  the  board 


Fig.  25. 


Holding  the  t  lane  so  as  to  square 
up  a  beveled  edge 


44 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


Fier.  26.     Arris  chiseled  off  to  prevent  splin- 
tering in  planing  end  wood. 


with  the  beam  resting  on  one  arris,  Fig.  29,  and  the  head  sliding  along 

the  edge  of  the  board  (as  in  Fig.  214,  Handwork  in  Wood). 

Now  little  by  little  roll  the 
beam  toward  you  until  the  spur 
just  begins  to  scratch.  By  prac- 
ticing in  this  way  for  a  little 
while,  you  will  soon  learn  to 
gage  a  line  parallel  with  the 
edge.  The  difficulty  that  most 
beginners  experience  comes  from 
trying  to  scratch  a  deep  line  at 
once,  and  in  not  getting  ihe 
pressure  behind  the  spur.  The 
finest  line  that  is  visible  is  best. 
As  the  distance  between  the  spur 

and  the  head  of  the  gage  increases,  so  does  the  difficulty  of  hohlmg 

the  gage  steadily.     If  you  are  not  succeeding  well,  practice  on  only 

one   board,   and   if   the  result  is 

too  bad,  plane  off  the    scratched 

surface,  and  try  again  and  again 

until  you  can  use  the  gage  well. 

( See  p.  48  for  broad  surface  plan- 
ing.)     It   is   better   to  lose    one 

board  than  two. 

Now  gage  this  3/16"  line  on 

both  broad  surfaces  from  the  same 

edge.        Then    others     on    both 

broad    surfaces    from    the   other 

edge,   and    then    others    on    the 

other  16"  board  in  the  same  way. 
Now  add  ^",  setting  the  gage 

at   7/16"     and    gage     again   the 

eight   lines.      Then   add   another 

3/16",     making     ^"     and    gage 

again.     Add  another  ^",  and  so 

on,  until  you  have  28  3/16"  spaces, 

counting     from     both    edges    of 

both  boards. 


Fig.  27.    Testing  squareness  of  end. 


A    SCRAP-BASKET 


45 


Fig.  16.  <-raged  lines  on  piece  lo  be  sawed 
into  slats.  The  saw-kerfs  are  to  be  in  the 
middle  of  the  %"  spaces. 


I  A'.      Ripping    off    the    slats. 

When  the  two  boards  are  prop- 
erly gaged,  they  are  next  to  be 

rip-sawed   up   into    slats.      Tiie 

sail;   Jcerfs  are   to   he   down    the 

middle  of  the  }i"  spaces.     To 

be  sure  of  making  no  mistake, 

it  is  well  to  draw  a  pencil  line 

where  the  kerfs  are  to  be. 

To  saw  proceed  as  follow? : 

Fasten  one  board  in  the  vise  as 

in  Fig  30,  i.  e.,  with  the  jaws 

of  the  vise  pressing  the  edges 

of  the  board,  and  the  board  in- 
clined back  from  the  perpendicular.     Rest  the  left  hand  on  the  top 

end  of  the  board  with  the  thumb  so  held  that  it  acts  as  a  guide  in 

starting  the  saw.  The  saw  to  be 
used  is  the  rip-saw  (see  Handwork 
in  Wood,  p.  63).  Hold  it  in  the 
right  hand  so  that  the  line  of  the 
teeth  and  the  surface  of  the  board 
make  quite  an  acute  angle:  that 
is,  drop  the  right  hand  down  a- 
low  as  possible.  Put  the  saw  in 
proper  position  for  making  the 
cut,  and  be  careful  to  hold  up  the 
saw  so  that  the  teeth  will  rest 
on  the  arris  as  lightly  as  possi- 
ble.   If  these  directions  are  followed,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  make 

a  false  start  by  drawing  the  saw  toward  you,  but  the  first  stroke  will 

be    a    push    and 

will  cut  properly. 

Xow    saw    away 

the  pencil  line  in 

the  middle  of  the 

-/"  space,  watch- 

i  n  g  the   line 

closely   and   also 

looking    on    the   ,^_____ 

Fig-.  30.     Ripping-  with  wood  held  in  vise. 


<\/\ 

\V 

\ 

\     '^X 

/ 



xi^^ 

\ 

--^=- 

How  the  beam  ot  a  marking-- 
gag-e  runs  on  its  arris 


46 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


back  to  see  if  the  kerf  is  in  the  middle  of  the  space.  If  the  saw  tends 
to  "run'^  to  one  side  of  the  line,  say  the  right  side,  pull  it  back  nearW 
to  its  point,  twist  the  handle  a  little  to  the  left,  and  take  a  few  short 
strokes  until  the  kerf  is  in  the  proper  place  again.  If  the  cut  is  going 
badl}^  on  the  back,  it  may  be  necessary  to  turn  the  board  back  side 
front,  until  the  kerf  is  right  there. 

Saw  about  half  way  thru  the  board,  then  turn  the  other  end  up 
and  saw  the  other  half. 

After  sawing  off  the  strip,  put  the  board  in  the  side-vise,  sawn 
edge  up,  and  plane  it  down  to  the  next  gage  line,  being  careful  not  to 


Fig-.  31.     Device  for  holding  thin  strips  for  planing-. 


go  below  it  and  yet  to  make  the  edge  true.  This  is  slightly  more  diffi- 
cult than  it  was  to  plane  it  true  in  the  first  place.  Then  saw  off 
another  strip  as  before,  plane  up  the  edge  of  the  board,  and  so  on, 
until  the  necessary  number  of  strips  (28)  have  been  sawn  off.  By 
this  time  one  should  know  how  to  rip-saw  well.  By  cutting  14  slats 
from  each  board,  a  part  of  each  board  will  be  left  which  should  be 
saved  to  be  used  later  for  the  frame. 

V.  Planing  up  the  slats.  The  slats  are  now  to  be  planed  on  the 
side  still  rough.  If  your  bench  has  a  tail  vise,  fasten  one  of  the 
strips  between  the  stop  in  the  vise  and  the  bench-stop,  placed  in  that 


A    SCRAP-BASKET 


47 


Fig-.  32.    End  of  slat. 


hole  which  is  at  the  right  distance,  and  plane  it  to  the  proper  thick- 
ness. The  same  can  be  done  between  the  vise-dog  and  the  bench- 
stop  in  the  Sheldon  vise,  but  since  the  parts  are  of  iron,  special  pains 
must  be  taken  to  prevent  the  plane  cutter  from  hitting  the  iron.  To 
avoid  this  danger,  put  in  a  temporary  wooden  bench-stop.  Another 
device  for  facilitating  the  planing  of  these  thin 
strips,  is  shown  in  Fig.  31  and  can  be  readily 
made,  as  follows: 

In  any  convenient  piece  of  wood,  18"  or  so 
long,  cut  a  dado  ^"  deep,  and  1"  from  one  end,  just 
wide  enough  to  hold  tightly  a  thin  strip  of  w^ood 
(say  y^"  wide).  Let  the  distance  A  B  be  ^"  less 
than  the  length  of  the  strips  to  be  planed  up.  In- 
sert this  device  between  the  vise-dog  and  the  bench- 
stop  letting  the  strip  to  be  planed  lie  in  the  space 
A-B.  Eaise  the  vise-dog  so  that  it  will  engage  the 
strip.  Then  tighten  the  vise  just  enough  to  hold  it 
firmly.  Plane  up  all  the  strips  to  the  required  thickness.  If  any  are 
spoiled,  as  is  likely  to  be  the  case,  in  this  first  project,  make  others, 
but  save  the  spoiled  ones  until  the  basket  is  done. 

Next  trim  off  the  arrises  (corners)  at  one  end  of  each  of  the  clats, 
see  Fig.  32.     First  mark  carefully  ^"  from  the  end  and  then  draw 

the  diagonal  with  a 
sharp  pencil  and  the 
sliding  Tee-bevel.  Tlie 
neatest  way  to  cut  this 
angle  is  by  slicing  it  off 
with  a  chisel,  see  Fig. 
33.  Cut  these  angles 
at  one  end  only. 

VI.  Making  the  bot- 
tom.   Inasmuch    as    the 
thickness   of  the   origi- 
nal   boards    and    hence 
the  width   of  the  slats 
may  not  be  exactly  %",  in  order  to  find  out  the  exact  size  of  the  bot- 
tom proceed  as  follows:  Lay  seven  slats  close  together,  side  by  side, 
measure  their  total  width  and  add  six  times  3/16",    (the  space  be- 


Fig.  33.    Sljcing  off  an  arris  with  a  chisel. 


48 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Fig.  34.    Testing-  a  planed  surface  for  flat- 
ness bj  using  the  arris  of  the  plane. 


tween  the  slats)  or  1^"  in  all.  The  total  is  the  exact  size  of  the 
bottom.  Let  iis  assume  that  the  slats  are  exactly  }i"  wide.  Then 
the  proper  size  for  the  bottom  will  be  M"  x  7^"  x  7^".     This  is  to 

be  made  next,  and  this  involves 
broad  surface  planing.  Fasten 
the  board  flat  on  the  bench,  be- 
tween the  tail-vise-dog  and  the 
proper  bench-stop,  the  grain 
running  lengthwise  of  the 
bench.  If  the  board  is  at  all 
warped,  plane  the  convex  side 
first.  Before  beginning  to  plane, 
glance  down  the  sole  of  the 
plane,  Fig.  31,  to  see  that  the 
cutter  projects  evenl}^  and  but  very  little  beyond  the  sole.  Test  the 
surface  for  flatness  by  placing  the  long  arris  of  the  plane  on  the 
surface  in  various  directions,  lengthwise,  crosswise,  and  diagonally 
and  looking  toward  the  light,  as  in  Fig.  34.  If  there  are  high  places, 
plane  them  off  first.  Work  carefully,  planing  only  such  parts  as  need 
it.  When  the  surface  is  flat,  plane 
over  the  whole  surface  from  end 
to  end,  working  from  left  to 
right,  and  back  again  until  the 
whole  surface  is  smootlied.  Mark 
this  surface  with  a  single  mark, 
thus :  — .  This  indicates  the 
"working  face."  Now  plane  one 
edge  true  and  mark  it  with  t'AO 
marks,  thus  =  .  This  indicates 
the  "working  edge."  It  is  import- 
ant to  form  early  this  habit  of 
marking  one's  work.  Next  dravr 
with  a  sharp  pencil  and  a  straight 
edge,  a  line  7^^"  from,  and  paral- 
lel to  the  working  edge.  Since 
this  distance  exceeds  the  number  of  inches  on  the  marking-gage, 
the  most  convenient  method  is  to  measure  the  distance  near  each  end, 
and  at  right  angles  to  the  working  edge,  and  then  to  rule  a  light 


Fig.  35.     Scoring  with  a  knife 
along  the  try-square. 


A   SCRAP-BASKET 


49 


Fig.  36. 


How  the  working  face  looks  when  marked  for 
planing  end  AB. 


line  between  these  two  points.  Next  score  with  the  knife  and  try- 
square,  as  in  Fig.  35,  a  line  near  one  end  of  the  piece.  The  working 
face  will  now  appear  as  in  Fig.  36. 

Cut  off  the  corner  A,  as  in  Fig.  36,  put  the  piece  end  up  in  the 
side  vise,  and  plane  off  the  end  to  the  scored  line.  Test  this  end 
with  the  try- 
square,  to  see 
that  it  is  square 
with  both  the 
working  face  and 
the  working  edge. 
Then  measure  ex- 
actly the  length, 
7^",  and  score  it 
with  knife  and 
try-square.  Cut 
off  the  corner 
outside  the  width 
line,   and    plane 

up  the  other  end.  Plane  the  width,  7^",  to  the  ruled  line.  Use  the 
try-square  constantly  for  testing.  The  piece  should  now  be  perfectly 
square.  To  verify  your  measurement  see  that  the  diagonals  are  equal 
in  length.    AC  =  BD. 

With  the  marking-gage  set  at  %",  gage  from  the  working  face 
both  edges  and  both  ends  of  the  board.  Now  plane  down  the  other 
broad  surface  to  the  line  thus  gaged,  being  very  careful  not  to  plane 
any  portion  too  much.  The  best  way  is  to  plane  off  the  high  places 
first  and  then  by  working  back  and  forth  across  the  board  to  reduce 
the  whole  surface  evenly.  Stop  when  you  have  just  split  the  gaged 
line. 

VII.  Mahing  the  frame.  The  next  step  is  to  get  ready  the 
frame,  which  binds  the  slats  together  near  the  top.  From  one 
of  the  pieces  left  from  making  the  slats,  dress  up  one  piece,  %" 
thick,  1^"  wide,  and  16"  long.  Smooth  the  two  broad  surfaces, 
taking  as  fine  shavings  as  possible. 

Plane  true  one  edge  of  the  piece,  and  gage  a  line  1^"  from  the 
edges.  Saw  off  the  surplus  and  plane  to  the  line.  Now  gage  two 
lines,  5/16"  from  each  broad  face.     Saw  between  these  two  lines,  and 


50 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


plane  up  the  rough  surfaces.    Each  of  the  two  strips  should  be  5/16" 

thick.  Cut  each  of  these  in  two  crosswise  in  the  center  making  4  cleats. 
The  pieces  made  thus  far  may  now  be  sandpapered.     Tear  a  sheet 

of  No.  1  sand- 
paper into  four 
pieces.  An  easy 
way  to  do  this  is 
to  place  it,  sand 
down,  so  that  the 
middle  of  the 
sheet  lies  along 
the  front  arris  of 
the  bench.  With 
the  left  hand 
hold  the  part  on 
the  bench  down 
fiat.  With  the 
right  hand  hold- 
ing the  other 
half  give  a  quick 

downward  stroke  which  will  tear  the  paper  straight  in  two.  Fig.  37. 

Repeat  on  each  half.     Fold  one  quarter  neatly  around  a  small  block 


Fig-.  37.     Tearing  sandpaper. 


Fig.  38.    Method  of  making  and  joining-  frame  of  waste-basket. 


A   SCRAP-BASKET 


51 


of  wood  (say  3"  wide)   and  with  this  tool,  sandpaper  tvith  the  grain 
every  surface  of  each  piece,  and  also  touch  off  the  sharp  arrises. 

Villa.  Making  the  frame  (end  lapped).  First  with  a  couple  of 
brads  (1%"  No.  15)  nail  all  four  cleats  together,  keeping  the  sides 
and  one  end  perfectly  flush, 
and  letting  the  heads  project 
so  that  the  brads  can  be  re- 
moved later.  Then  saw  them 
together  in  the  miter-box  to 
exactly  the  length  of  one  side 
of  the  bottom  714".  Next 
measure  carefully  5/16"  from 
both  ends  and  draw  a  line  half 
across  on  one  surface,  and  con- 
nect with  these  lines  two  other 
center  lines  as  at  A  B,  Fig.  38. 
Place  the  bunch  in  the  miter- 
box  again,  and  saw  on  the  out- 
side of  the  lines  A  B,  and  care- 
fully chisel  out  these  returns.  Take  the  cleats  apart  and  each  will 
appear  as  0  Z>  in  Fig.  38.  Now  nail  the  four  together  into  a  frame, 
reversing  two  of  them  so  that  the  projection  of  two  of  them  will 
fit  into  the  return  of  the  next  ones  as  E  in  Fig.  38.    Nail  both  ways. 

VIII  &.  Making  the  frame  (mitered).  If  the  cleats  binding  the 
slats  together  are  fastened,  not  inside  of  the  slats,  but  outside,  as  in 
Fig.  10,  the  ends  should  be  mitered. 

Mitering  is  done  in  the  miter-box.  If  you  have  a  simple  wooden 
one,  fasten  it  in  the  vise  so  that  it  will  be  rigid,  as  in  Fig.  39.    Place 


/ 

Wter-  r 
Box  \ 

-_=^ 

Bench 

Fig-.  39.     Miter-box  in  vise. 


Fig.  40.     Cross-cleats  for  scrap-basket. 


one  of  the  cross-cleats  in  the  trough  of  the  miter-box,  edge  up,  and 
with  the  back-saw  slid  into  one  of  the  45°  kerfs,  cut  off  the  cleat 


52 


DESIGN   AND   CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


Fig".  41.     Triraniingf  a  miter. 


near  the  end.  Do  this  for  all  4  cleats.  Now  measure  accurately 
the  length  (7%"  outside  length),  put  the  saw  in  the  other  45°  kerf 
and  saw  off  the  other  ends.     Each  cleat  will  now  be  of  the  shape 

shown  in  Fig.  40.  Test  each 
cleat  to  see  that  the  end  is  square 
with  the  edge,  and  that  all  are 
of  the  same  length.  If  not,  the 
ends  can  be  trimmed  with  a  chis- 
el. A  convenient  way  to  do  this 
is  shown  in  Fig.  41.  Place  the 
cleat,  long  side  down,  on  bench- 
hook,  the  acute  angle  against 
cleat  of  the  bench-hook.  With 
chisel  pare  off  sawn  mitered  sur- 
face until  it  is  true.  See  that 
all  four  cleats  are  alike,  7%"  long,  and  with  a  true  45°  miter  at 
each  end.  In  order  to  test  this,  set  your  sliding  Tee-bevel  at  an 
angle  of  45°,  as  follows:  Measure  accurately  both  ways  from  the 
corner  of  a  known  right  angle.  Set  the  head  of  your  sliding  Tee- 
bevel  against  one 
edge  and  set  the 
blade  so  that  it 
will  just  touch 
these  two  points, 
as  in  Fig.  42. 
The  acute  angle 
will  be  45°.  If 
you  have  an  ac- 
curate iron  mi- 
ter -  box,  cut  a 
true  45°  angle  on 
a  piece  about  3" 
wide,  and  set 
your  Tee-bevel 
by  this.     In  case 

the  cross-cleats  are  mitered,  as  in  Fig.  40,  it  is  necessary  to  rein- 
force the  joints  by  means  of  tin  or  copper  angles.     These  are  made 


Fig-.  42.     Setting-  a  sliding  Tee-bevel  to  an  ang-le  of  45°. 


A   SCRAP-BASKET 


53 


thus:  With  the  scratch  awl  or  a 
sharp  nail  draw  a  center  line  (di- 
ameter) thru  a  piece  of  tin 
2"  X  2^".  On  this  center  line  lay 
off  four  }i"  spaces.  With  the 
scratch  awl  and  sliding  Tee-bevel 
set  at  45°,  draw  oblique  lines 
both  ways  from  the  center  line  as 
shown  in  Fig.  43.  With  the  snips 
(or  a  pair  of  strong  scissors)  cut 
out  the  four  braces  in  the  shape 
shown  in  Fig.  44.  Each  one 
should  be  just  less  than  5/16" 
wide.   With  a  small  nailset  punch 

four  holes   in  each  piece   as  shown  rig.43.    Lay-out  of  Hie  tin  braces. 

in  Fig.  44.    The  best  way  to  do  this  is  by  placing  the  tin  on  a  piece  of 

lead,  but  a  piece  of  hard  wood  will  do.     Do  not  use  the  top  of  the 

bench.  Then  flatten  out  the  tins. 
Next  nail  together  the  frame 
by  means  of  the  tin  braces  and 
the  ^"  flat  head  nails  as  shown 
in  Fig.  45.  The  joints  may  also 
be  strengthened  by  driving  brads 
iJi",  No.  18)  at  ABC,  Fig.  45. 
To  do  this  fasten  one  piece  X 
firmly  in  the  vise,  end  up,  start 
the  nails  A  and  B  in  the  other 

piece  (Y).  Force  the  end  of  piece  Y  a  little  beyond  the  end  of  X,  so 

that  when  the  brad  is  driven  home  the  outer  arrises  of  the  miter  will 

just  meet.     Do  this  with  all  the 

corners,  and  lay  aside. 

IX.     Assembling.    The   parts 

are  now  ready  to   be  assembled. 

On  one  long  arris  of  one  of  the 

slats,  lay  out  with  a  sharp  pencil 

and  a  rule,  the  position   of   the 

slats  as  in  Fig.  46.  Using  this  as 

a    pattern,    lay    out    the    same    dis-  ,..^,^^    Tm  brace  nailed  to  cleats 


Fig-.  44.     Tin  brace. 


54 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


tances  on  all  the  upper  arrises  of  the  bottom,  and  on  the  correspond- 
ing arrises  of  the  frame.  Next,  nail  the  slats  to  the  bottom  piece,  as 
in  Fig.  47,  driving  only  one  brad  (J^"  No.  18)  thru  each  slat,  and 
that  one  a  little  away  from  the  center,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the 


¥'  -^'J6'^W^% 


Fig.  46.     Position  of  slats. 

upholstery  nail,  which  will  be  driven  in  later,  and  yet  near  enough 
to  the  center  so  that  it  will  be  covered  by  the  head  of  the  upholstery 
nail.  The  lower  end  of  each  slat  will  be  just  flush  with  the  lower 
surface  of  the  bottom. 

The  next  step  is  to  nail  the  slats  to  the  cross-cleats  which  have 
already  been  joined  together  into  a  frame. 

Measure  1^"  from  the  top  end  of  the  four  corner  slats  on  the 
inside.  Lay  the  basket  on  its  side  and  drive  brads  from  the  inside 
of  the  basket  thru  the  cross-piece  just  far  enough  into  the  corner 
slats  to  hold  the  frame  in  place.  Later  these  brads  are  to  be  removed. 
See  that  the  basket  stands  square  in  all  parts.  Now  with  upholstery 
nails,  nail  each  slat  in  its  proper  place  to  the  frame.  These  nails 
should  be  in  two  rows,  so  disposed  that  the  point  of  each  nail  is  in 
the  vertical  center  of  the  slat,  and  half  an  inch  from  one  edge  of  the 
frame,  as  shown  in  Fig.  48. 

In  order  to  have  something  solid  to  nail  against,  open  the  vise 
wide  enough  so  that  the  inside  of  the  basket  can  rest  on  the  outer 
jaw.  Or  cut  a 
stick  of  wood 
just  the  length 
to  fit  snugly  be- 
tween two  oppo- 
site cross-cleats, 
and  fit  i  t  between 
them.  Or,  some- 
thing heavy  like 

a  hammer  or  a  flat  iron,  may  be  held  inside  with  one  hand,  while 
the  other  drives  the  nail.  If  the  point  of  the  upholstery  nail  pro- 
jects thru,  clinch  it;  that  is,  drive  it  against  a  piece  of  iron.  Pro- 
ceed until  all  the  nails  are  driven. 


Fig-  47.     Afangement  of  slats. 


A   SCRAP-BASKET 


55 


X.  The  feet.  The  construction  of  the  basket  may  now  be  con- 
sidered done,  but  it  will  be  improved  in  looks  by  the  addition  of 
little  feet  at  the  four  corners,  see  Figs.  9  and  49.  They  may  be 
made  in  this 
way:  From  a  %" 
board,  16"  long, 
saw  off  and  plane 
two  pieces  to  y%' 
thick.  In  the  mi- 
ter-box cut  these 
into  4  equal  rect- 
angular pieces 
7"  long.  From 
the  rectangular 
end,  cut  out  with 
the  back-saw  and 
trim  with  the 
chisel  returns  as 
A  in  Fig.  49.  Cut 
each  of  these  in 
two  in  the  miter- 
box  at  an  angle 
of    45°,   making 

the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  49.  Holding  the  piece  in  the  vise  for  con- 
venience, with  the  veining  tool,  or  the  sharp  point  of  a  knife,  cut 
out  the  decoration  and  chamfer  off  the  long  outer  arris.  {See  Hand- 
worh  in  Wood,  p.  184.)     These  feet  may  now  be  nailed  in  pairs  on 


Fig-.  48.     Arrang-enient  of  upholstery  naib 


Fig.  49.    Feet  of  scrap-basket. 


56 


DESIGN   AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


the  corners  of 
the  bottom,  pro- 
jecting outside 
of  the  slats  just 
the  width  of  the 
chamfer.  See 
Fig.  7. 
,^........^ ._  I         XI.      Finish- 

Fig-.  50.     Letter  tray  made  of  slats.  ilig.       The  baskct 

is  now  ready  to  be  stained.    First  see  that  all  surfaces  are  smooth  and 
clean  and  free  from  pencil  marks.     Pour  a  little    of  the  prepared 


Fi|r-  51.     Box  screen  for  flowerpot. 


A   SCRAP-BASKET 


57 


brown  stain  in  a  cup,  and  begin  to  apply  with  a  brush  on  the  inside 
of  the  basket.  After  staining  a  portion  and  before  it  dries,  wipe  the 
stain  off  with  cotton  waste  (obtainable  at  a  paint  store)  or  with  an 
old  cloth.  In  this  way  stain 
and  wipe  the  entire  surface. 
Then  let  the  st^in  thoroly  dry, 
24z  hours,  before  waxing  with 
"Old  Dutch  Finish."  If  the 
wax  is  hard,  soften  it  by  plac- 
ing the  can  in  hot  water. 
Smear  it  over  the  surface  with 
a  brush,  and  let  it  dry  over 
night.  Then  rub  with  a  piece 
of  soft  cloth,  cheese  cloth,  for 
instance.  The  more  rubbing 
the  better  will  be  the  polish. 
N"o  more  wax  is  needed. 

The  principal  processes  in  this 
first  project  are  the  sawing  and 
planing  of  a  number  of  cleats. 

Other    projects     involving    the  Fig.sz.  Leaf  press, 

same  processes  are  (1)  the  letter  tray  shown  in  Fig.  50.  The  slats 
on  the  sides  and  bottom  are  rabbeted  into  the  ends  and  nailed  in  place 
with  brads.  (2)  The  box  screen  in  which  a  flower-pot  may  stand. 
Fig.  51.  The  construction  of  this  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  scrap 
basket.  (3)  The  leaf-press.  Fig.  52.  This  consists  of  a  pair  of 
frames  each  made  of  seven  slats  nailed  to  four  cleats.  These  are 
tied  tight  together  with  a  buncli  of  newspapers  between. 


58 


DESIGX   AND  CONSTKUCTION   IN   WOOD 


^'BiiWiinii  '^"Vi^tiiitnttiiuamJI 


'■^^'^^'hiiiUtt.i* 


FU^.  53.    Picture-frame-clanip. 


Fig.  54.    Picture  frame-clamp. 


Chapter  V 
PICTURE-FEAME-CLAMP 

Design.  A  picture-frame-clamp  is  of  good  design  when  it  serves 
its  purpose  well.  As  shown  in  Fig.  53,  this  clamp  meets  this  re- 
quirement. In  Fig.  54,  the  details  of  its  construction  are  made 
plain.  The  two  long  arms,  A,  A,  by  pivoting  on  a  hinge,  and  by 
means  of  a  series  of  holes  in  them,  make  it  possible  to  adjust  the 
clamp  to  frames  varying  in  proportions  and  sizes,  while  the  two 
small  pieces,  C,  G,  into  the  90°  angles  of  which  the  frame  fits,  are 
made  adjustable  by  pivoting  at  these  holes.  A  pair  of  these  clamps 
is  necessary  for  gluing  up  one  frame.  When  set  up  as  shown  in  Fig. 
53,  the  joints  of  the  frame  are  pulled  tight  into  place  by  means  of  a 
handscrew.  As  here  designed, 
this  clamp  will  serve  for  frames 
from  6"x9"  to  18"  x  24".  To 
be  of  use  it  must  be  accurate,  but 
there  is  no  necessity  for  mak- 
ing it  over-nice. 

The  woods  selected  are  yel- 
low    poplar      (medium     strength  Plg.  55    Method  of  perpendicular  chiseling. 

and   easy   to   work)  and   maple 

(very  strong).     But  if  the  clamp  is  to  be  used  often,  maple  should 

be  used  thruout. 

Finish.  To  prevent  the  glue  in  the  picture-frame  from  sticking 
to  the  clamp,  a  coat  of  boiled  linseed  oil  is  applied  all  over  the  clamp. 

The  following  materials  are  required: 

Yellow  poplar,  or  other  medium  strong  wood,  J/8"x65^"xi7", 

Maple  or  oak,   %"xi^"x26", 

8  round-head  screws,  lYi"  No.  12, 

And  a  little  boiled  linseed  oil. 

I.  Making  the  arms.  First  see  that  your  plane  is  sharp  and 
otherwise  in  good  order  (See  Handwork  in  Wood,  pp.  76  and  58). 
The   long  pieces    (arms)    are   to   be   of  yellow   poplar   and   each   is 

59 


60 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


^"xiy2"xl6' 


111 


size.     To  get  them   out,   first   smooth   one  broad 


surface,  if  it  needs  it,  then  plane  one  edge  of  the  board  straight  and 
square.  Gage  a  line  1^"  from  this  edge,  rip-saw  it  off,  dress  up  the 
edge  again,  and  repeat,  until  you  have  the  four  required  pieces. 
Plane  these  pieces  to  V/z"  wide.    With  the  back-saw  saw  off  one  end 

of  each  piece  square  in  the  mi- 
ter-box. With  the  dividers^  lay 
out  a  quarter-circle  on  the  broad 
side  of  the  other  end  of  each 
piece.  Fig.  55.  Next  trim  off  the 
waste  by  sawing  off  the  corner 
and  then  by  means  of  "perpen- 
dicular chiseling"  {Handivork 
in  Wood,  pp.  56-58).  Or  chisel- 
ing alone  may  be  employed.  Pro- 
ceed as  follows :  Lay  one  of  the 
pieces  flat  on  a  piece  of  waste 
wood  or  a  cutting  board.  Grasp 
the  handle  of  the  1"  chisel,  in 
the  right  hand,  thumb  up.  Fig. 
56,  {HandivorJc  in  Wood,  Fig. 
72)  and  let  the  blade  of  the 
chisel  pass  between  the  thumb 
and  the  first  finger  of  the  left 
hand,  which  rests,  back  down, 
on  the  work,  and  holds  it  in 
place.  The  right  hand  pushes 
the  chisel  downward,  and  the 
left  hand  controls  its  position. 
Trim  off  the  waste  outside  the 
Fig.  5b.    Perpendicular  chiseling,  quarter  circlc,  a  little  at  a  time. 

If  more  force  is  required  push  with  your  chest  against  the  end  of 
the  chisel  handle.  If  still  more  force  is  needed,  use  the  mallet  in 
your  right  hand,  grasping  the  blade  of  the  chisel  in  your  left  hand 
(Handwork  in  Wood,  Fig.  76).  Always  work  around  from  the  side 
to  the  end  (Fig.  75,  Handwork  in  Wood)  ;  otherwise  you  are  likely 
to  split  the  piece.  When  you  have  cut  nearly  to  the  line,  set  the 
piece  up  diagonally  in  the  vise  so  that  the  quarter  circle  is  up,  and 


PICTURE-FRAME-CLAMP 


61 


pare  off  shavings  with  the  chisel,  flat  side  down  (as  in  Fig.  74, 
Handwork  in  Wood).  The  right  hand  pushes  the  chisel  forward 
while  the  left  thumb  pushes  it  sidewise,  thus  giving  a  diagonal 
cut.  Trim  all  the  pieces 
in  this  way.  Another 
method  of  trimming  a 
curve  is  by  means  of  the 
spokeshave.  This  is  in 
reality  a  plane  with  a 
short  sole,  so  made  in 
order  that  the  cutter 
can  follow  curves.  It  is 
held  in  both  hands  as 
in  Fig.  57,  and  it  may 
be  either  pushed  or 
pulled.  Before  begin- 
ning to   use   it,   see   that  Fig.  57.    using  the  spokeshave. 

the  cutter  is  sharp  and  properly  set.  In  the  kind  recommended 
above  (p.  30)  the  width  of  the  throat  may  be  adjusted  by  means 
of  the  thumb-screw.     This  also  alters  the  depth  of  the  cut.     With 

this  too]  trim 
off  the  quarter 
circle.  By  turn- 
ing the  blade 
diagonally  to  the 
direction  of  the 
cut,  it  will  be 
found  to  work 
more  easily  and 
reliably. 

Next  gage  a 
center  line  from 
end  to  end  on 
both  broad  sides 
of  each  piece. 
Then  set  the  di- 


Fig.  58.     Stepping  off  distances  with  the  dividers 


viders  at  1>4"  between  points  and  beginning  at  the  square  end,  step 
oft'  and  prick  in  this  center  line  7  points.  Fig.  58.    Eepeat  this  process 


62 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Ri^hr 

f  o 

Wron(] 

Fig.  59.     Shape  of  holes  in  picture-f  rame-clamp. 


on  the  other  side  and  do  it  on  all  four  pieces.  Then  set  the  compass 
at  Yz"  between  points  and  starting  from  each  point  already  pricked, 
prick  7  other  points  toward  the  rectangular  end.  Also  make  a  mark 
on  the  center  line  1J4"  from  the  other  (quadrantal)  end. 

Now  bore  the  holes, 
first  the  7/16"  holes  at 
the  points  first  pricked, 
then  the  Y\"  holes,  at 
the  points  Yz"  from 
these.  To  insert  the  bit 
in  the  brace,  hold  by 
the  left  hand  the  sleeve  of  the  chuck,  pointing  it  upward,  and  revolve 
the  handle  with  the  other  hand  until  the  jaws  open  enough  to  receive 
the  tang  of  the  bit  entire.  Drop  in  the  7/16"  bit,  and  reverse  the 
motion  until  the  bit  is  firmly  gripped  (Fig.  186,  Handwork  in  ^Vood). 
Fasten  one  of  the  16"  pieces  in  the  vise  (Fig.  137,  Handivorh  in 
Wood)  flat  side  up,  taking  care  to  have  it  parallel  with  the  top  of 
the  bench  in  order  to  help  bore  straight.  Take  the  brace  in  the  right 
hand  and  the  bit  in  the  left,  and  insert  the  point  of  the  bit  in  the 
prick  15^"  inch  from  the  end.  Now  grasp  the  knob  of  the  brace  in 
the  hollow  of  the  left  hand.     Set  the  try-square  upright  near  the  work 


Fig.  60.    Plane  cutter  and  cap. 

and  sight  from  two  directions,  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  so  as  to 
see  that  the  bit  is  perpendicular  (Fig.  137,  Handwork  in  ^yood). 
Revolve  the  handle  clockwise,  bore  about  half  way  thru,  then  bore  the 
next  hole   (1.^"  from  the  first)   and  so  on,  till  all  the  holes  in  one 


PICTURE-FRAME-CLAMP  63 

side  are  bored.  By  counting  the  revolutions  while  boring,  you  can 
quickly  learn  when  to  stop.  Turn  the  piece  over  and  bore  in  the  cor- 
responding pricks  on  the  other  side.  Bore  the  holes  in  all  the  pieces. 
Kemember  that  unless  the  work  is  accurate,  the  clamp  will  be  of  no 
use  as  a  clamp.  Then  insert  the  ^"  in  the  brace  and  bore  the  other 
set  of  holes  in  the  same  way.  Bore  a  %"  hole  at  the  mark  which  i.> 
1^"  from  quadrantal  end. 

The  next  step  is  to  cut  out  the  space  between  each  )^"  and  j4" 
hole,  making  a  buttonhole  shaped  opening,  Fig.  59.  Lay  one  piece 
down  flat  on  the  cutting  board.  Grasp  the  chisel  as  for  perpendicu- 
lar chiseling  (see  above),  cut  out  an  opening  between  the  two  holes, 
which  shall  be  V-shaped  in  cross-section,  but  tangent  to  the  outside 
of  the  small  hole;  that  is,  parallel  to  the  sides  of  the  piece.  Gradu- 
ally deepen  this  cut.  Turn  the  piece  over  and  repeat  until  you  can 
cut  clear  thru  it.  Cut  till  the  opening  is  tangent  to  the  outside  of 
the  ^"  hole  all  the  way  thru,  as  in  Fig.  59.  There  are  28  of  these 
openings  to  cut. 

II.  Making  the  blocks.  Next  prepare  the  small  pieces  of  hard 
wood.  They  are  all  %"  thick,  1^"  wide,  so  plane  them  while  they 
are  all  in  one  piece.  In  planing  this  hard  wood,  be  content  with  tak- 
ing quite  fine  shavings.  Otherwise  your  plane  is  likely  to  be  "choked.'' 
But  if  it  does  choke,  do  not  try  to  pick  the  shavings  out  of  the  throat 
with  another  tool.  This  is  likely  to  injure  the  cutter.  Rather  take 
the  cutter  out  of  the  plane  by  first  removing  the  clamp.  If  the  shav- 
ings are  wedged  between  the  cutter  and  the  cap,  loosen  the  screw 
which  holds  them  together  using  the  edge  of  the  clamp  as  a  screw- 
driver, and  remove  the  shavings  and  reset  the  cap,  placing  the  edge  of 
the  cap  quite  close  to  the  edge  of  the  cutter  (1/32").  See  Fig.  60. 
Re-insert  the  cutter  in  the  plane,  adjust  it  carefully  and  proceed. 

When  the  piece  is  properly 
planed  up,  saw  it  up  into  the 
right  lengths;  namel}^,  6  pieces, 
3^"   long. 

Set  the  sliding  Tee-bevel  at 
45°  (see  p.  52)  and  mark 
out   2   internal   angles   on  both         Fig.  6i.  Method  of  sawing  stop  blocks  of 

ends      of      4      of     the     pieces,      as  Picmre-frameciamp. 

shown  in  the  drawing.  Set  these  diagonally  in  the  vise;  trim  of! 
with  the  chisel  a  little  of  the  arris  across  the  thickness,  and  with  the 
back-saw,  saw  out  the  angle  as  accurately  as  possible.  Fig.  Gl. 


64 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


If  an  accurate  miter-box  is  available  (like  the  Stanley  or  Lang- 
don)  these  notches  may  be  accurately  cut  thus:  Cut  a  45°  angle  on 
a  piece  of  wood  4"  wide,  and  clamp  this  to  the  fence  of  the  miter-box 

in  such  a  position  that  the  saw 
will  just  rest  on  the  end  arris 
of  one  of  the  3^"  pieces  as  in 
Fig.  62.  Saw  to  the  center  and 
repeat. 

Smooth  up  the  cuts  with  a 
sharp  chisel,  testing  them  to 
see  that  they  are  square  with 
the  broad  side  and  make  a  true 
90°  angle  with  each  other. 

On  each  of  these  four  blocks 
locate  a  point  1^"  from  one  end 
and  in  the  center  sidewise,  with  a  No.  5  gimlet-bit  (number  stamped 
on  the  tang),  bore  a  hole  partly  thru,  and  screw  in  a  round-headed 
screw  (1/4"  No.  12)  until  the  head  is  %"  from  the  surface,  as  shown 
in  the  drawing.  You  should  be  able  to  button  this  firmly  into  one  of 
the  openings  which  j^ou  have  made  in  the  long  pieces. 

Next  prepare  the  hinge  pieces  (%"xl^"x3^").  Bore  a  hole 
(with  No.  5  gimlet-bit)  }i"  from  each  end,  part  way  thru.  Slip  a 
round-head  screw  (1/4"  No.  12)  thru  the  hole  at  the  quadrantal  end 
of  one  of  the  long  pieces  and  screw  it  into  the  hole  just  made  in  the 
hinge  piece.  The  hinge  piece  should  be  screwed  firmly  down  to  the 
long  piece  but  the  joint  should  turn  easily. 

Insert  screws  in  all  4  of  these  holes,  making  two  hinged  parts. 
Now  oil  all  the  parts  with  a  coat  of  boiled  linseed  oil  and  wipe  off 
with  cotton  waste. 

Other  projects  involving  the  boring  of  holes  are  shown  in  Fig.  63. 


Fig-.  62.    Cutting-  notches  in 

ends  of  blocks  in  the 

miter  box. 


a.  Compass  holder. 


Fig.  63.    Projects  involving-  boring-. 
/?.  Bit  holder.  c.  Nailset  holder. 


d.  Pencil  holder. 


Chapter  VI 
THE  MITEEED  PICTURE-FKAME 

I.       THE    FRAMING    OF    PICTURES 

The  first  thing  to  do  in  making  a  picture-frame  is  to  select  the 
picture,  because  such  details  as  the  use  of  a  mat,  the  size,  proportion, 
tone,  and  decoration  of  the  frame,  all  depend  upon  the  character  of 
the  picture.  Furthermore,  the  picture  should  be  one  well  worth 
framing.  To  select  a  picture  that  is  not  beautiful^  is  but  to  honor 
what  should  be  ignored. 

To  be  able  to  frame  good  pictures  well,  then,  is  the  ideal  to  be 
kept  in  mind  in  learning  to  make  picture-frames. 

The  suggestions  here  given  are  intended  to  apply  only  to  the 
selection  and  the  framing  of  comparatively  small  pictures,  such  as 
photographic  and  chromolithographic  reproductions  and  Japanese 
color  prints.  In  these  days  of  cheap  reproduction,  good  pictures  of 
this  class  are  inexpensive  and  readily  secured.  In  the  periodicals 
are  to  be  found  excellent  reproductions  of  the  work  of  some  of  the 
greatest  living  artists,  such  as  Maxfield  Parrish,  Jules  Guerin,  John 
W.  Alexander,  Edwin  Abbey,  Frank  Brangwyn,  Gari  Melcher,  Pamela 
Colman  Smith,  and  Jessie  Wilcox  Smith,  to  mention  a  few.  Also 
Japanese  color  prints  as  well  as  photographic  reproductions  of  univers- 
ally recognized  European  and  American  masters  may  be  procured  at 
the  best  art  stores. 

For  the  novice,  a  sufficiently  safe  guide  to  the  choice  of  good  pic- 
tures, is  to  select  from  the  works  of  these  artists.  However,  a  study 
of  Prof.  Arthur  W.  Dow's  ''Composition,"  would  go  a  long  way 
toward  enabling  the  student  to  select  wisely  his  own  pictures  for 
framing. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  the  frame  is  made  for  the  picture 
and  not  the  picture  for  the  frame,  then  it  follows  that  the  frame  is 
to  be  so  designed  as  to  set  off  the  picture  to  the  best  advantage. 

As  to  the  adaptation  of  the  frame  to  the  picture,  in  the  first 
place,  the  mat  may  properly  be  considered  as  a  part  of  the  frame.    It, 

65 

— s 


66 


designs'  and  construction  in  wood 


p 


Fig-  64.     The  mat  makes  possible  the  introduction  of  interest- 
ing' proportions  in  the  framing. 


like  the  frame,  is  a  device  to  give  a  setting  to  the  picture.  Whether 
or  not  a  mat  is  to  be  included  in  the  framing  of  the  picture,  depends 
somewhat  on  the  location  of  the  picture  in  the  room,  as  well  as  the 

idea  one  has  in 

mind  in  fram- 
ing the  picture, 
and  the  charac- 
ter of  the  pic- 
ture. 

In  favor  of 
the  mat,  it  is  to 
be  remembered 
that  an  ordi- 
n  a  r  y  mitered 
frame    by    itself 

involves  the  necessity  of  having  all  the  margins  around  the  picture 
equal  in  width;  whereas,  by  the  use  of  a  mat,  this  monotony  can  be 
avoided  and  a  subtle  and  pleasing  variety  produced,  as  in  Fig.  64. 
As  to  the  size  of  the  mat:  If  there  is  to  be  a  mat  it  should  be 
large  enough  to  be  effective.  A  mat  that  is  only 
a  little  larger  than  a  picture  looks  as  tho  it  were 
a  mere  device  for  splicing  out  the  picture  to  fit 
the  frame.  On  the  other  hand  the  picture  should 
not  look  lost  in  the  mat. 

As  to  the  width  of  the  margins  of  the  mat : 
one  consideration  to  be  borne  in  mind  is  the 
shape  of  the  entire  frame  resulting  from'  the  in- 
troduction of  a  mat.  As  a  general  rule  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  the  margins  should  not  be  such  as  to 
produce  a  square  frame  for  an  oblong  picture. 
See  Fig.  65.  A  little  observation  will  show  that 
squareness  in  either  picture  or  frame  is  com- 
monly avoided  by  artists.  An  oblong  is  less 
monotonous  and  hence  more  pleasing  than  a 
square,  just  as  an  ellipse  or  other  varied  curve 
is  more  pleasing  than  a  circle.  As  to  the  proportions  of  the  oblong, 
simple  multiples  are  to  be  avoided ;  that  is,  the  ratio  of  the  short  side 
to  the  long  side  should  be  not  simply  1  to  2  or  2  to  3,  but  a  more 
subtle  relation. 


Fig.  65.  The  upper 
arrangement  of  spaces 
is  good  because  it  con- 
forms to  the  propor- 
tions of  the  picture. 
The  lower  one  is  not 
g-ood  because  the 
squaie  frame  is  out  of 
harmony  with  the 
long-  picture. 


THE     MITERED     PICTURE-FEAME 


67 


If  the  margins  around  a  picture  are  widened  uniformly  on  all 
sides,  what  was  originally  a  pleasing  rectangle  will  lose  its  good 
proportions,  but  they  may  be  kept  good  by  increasing  the  length  of 
the  mat  more  than  its  width,  Fig.  65.  It  is  a 
safe  rule  for  the  amateur  never  to  place  a  picture 
elsewhere  than  in  the  vertical  center  of  the  mat, 
nor  to  place  a  horizontal  picture  in  a  vertical 
frame,  as  in  Fig.  QQ.  Such  arrangements  are  in 
danger  of  appearing  like  affectations. 


J 


r 


Fig-.    60.       These    ar- 

rang-ements    are   likely 

m  1  •  1  n  1  •        ji         to     look     like    affecta- 

lo  secure  harmonious  color   and   value   m  the   tious. 
frame,  the  same  tones  and  values  that  predominate  in  the  picture 
may  be  repeated  in  the  frame;    for  instance,  for  Maxfield  Parish's 

''  Auliimn,"  Fig. 
()7.  The  frame 
is  finished  in 
yellows  match- 
ing the  color  in 
the  picture.  Or 
the  harmony  de- 
sired may  be  se- 
cured by  the  in- 
troduction of  a 
strong  contrast, 
as  a  blue  mat  for 
a  picture  pre- 
dominating in 
orange.  Or,  for 
a  contrast  in 
values,  for  in- 
Ftance  where 
grays  are  used 
as  in  photo- 
graphs, a  white 
mat  with  a  black 
frame  is  effec- 
tive. 

As  to  the  width  of  a  frame,  it  is  difficult  to  make  any  rules  that 
will  definitely  and  easily  solve  all  cases,  but  a  few  suggestions  may  be 


Fig.  o7.  Plain  oak  frame,  stained  a  g^olden  brown  to  har- 
monize with  the  predominant  yellow  lone  of  the  picture. 
Maxfield  Parrish's  "'Autumti.''' 


68 


DESIGN   AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


found  serviceable.     The  width  of  a  frame  and  its  value  bear  a  close 
relation,  in  their  effect  on  a  picture,  as  follows : 

A  wide  frame  finished  dark  is  appropriate  for  a  picture  predomi- 
nating in  darks  and  massive  in  treatment,  as  in  Fig.  68. 

Or  a  wide  frame  finished  light  (Fig.  69)  sets  off  well  a  picture 
light  in  value  and  broad  in  treatment,  and  so  on,  thru  all  the  inter- 
mediate grades  from  very  dark  to  very  light. 

A  narrow  frame  finished  very  dark,  looks  well  around  a  picture 
where  darks  are  used  sparingly  and  delicately,  as  in  some  Japanese 

prints.      See     Figs.     70, 
71,  72. 

So,  in  like  manner,  a 
narrow  and  very  light 
frame  would  be  used 
only  for  a  picture  in  a 
very  light  key  and  of  a 
very  delicate  treatment, 
as  in  Fig.  73,  1  and  3. 
Where  a  mat  is  part 
of  the  framing  of  a  pic- 
ture, the  frame  and  mat 
may  vary  in  tone  and 
value,  in  such  a  way  as 
will  not  only  not  inter- 
fere with  the  unity  of 
the  picture,  but  will 
still  further  enhance  its 
beauty.  It  is  often  pos- 
sible further  to  unify 
the  picture  and  its  frame  by  repeating  in  the  frame  some  character- 
istic feature  of  the  picture.  If  severe  straight  lines  and  flat  spaces 
predominate,  these  are  easily  reproduced  in  the  plain  unbroken  sur- 
face of  the  frame.  Sometimes  the  representation  of  carving  in  the 
picture  can  be  repeated  in  the  frame,  or  a  certain  treatment  or  pat- 
tern in  the  picture  may  be  echoed  by  a  suitable  treatment  of  the 
frame.  Often  an  appropriate  beading  or  other  molding  may  give 
the  desired  effect,  see  Fig.  74.  Sometimes  a  touch  of  bright  color, 
as  that  of  the  pirate's  cap  in  Fig.  75,  can  be  repented  with  good  ef- 


Fig-.  68.     Wide  dark  frame  for  a  picture  w  ith  broad  dark 
masses;  frame  toaed  to  duU  brown  of  photo. 


THE     MITERED     PICTURE-FRAME 


69 


feet  in  a  fine  line  in  the  frame.  In  a  word,  the  frame  must  be  con- 
sistent with  the  color,  notan,  and  general  character  of  the  picture. 

In  selecting  the  wood  for  a  picture  frame,  it  is  well  for  a  beginner 
to  choose  some  soft  wood  like  white  pine  or  yellow  poplar,  until  he 
is  used  to  working  the  necessary  tools  and  can  make  the  joints  well. 
These  woods  can  be  stained  in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  Later  it  is 
better  to  make  frames  of  hard  wood.  Oak  is  the  most  common. 
Maple  is  good 
for  a  '^silver 
gray"  effect  to 
be  obtained  by 
staining  with 
the  water  stain 
Df  that  name. 
Mahogany  is  ex- 
cellent where  tlie 
color  can  be 
made  to  har- 
monize. V  a  r  (' 
must  be  taken 
not  to  select 
woods  having 
such  a  promi- 
nent "grain"  as 
to  divert  atten- 
tion from  the 
picture  itself. 

Concerning  the 
materials  to  be 
used    for     mats, 

"cover  paper"  is  one  of  the  most  suitable.  Ash  gray  will  be  found  to 
tone  well  with  a  great  variety  of  prints.  Dull  toned  wall  paper  which 
has  no  pattern  is  often  good.  Grass-cloth  comes  in  various  colors, 
and  this  or  raw  silk  stretched  on  cardboard  makes  a  very  effective 
setting  especially  for  some  Japanese  prints. 

Mounting  the  picture  on  the  mat  may  be  done  in  one  of  two 
ways:  (1)  The  picture  may  be  pasted  directly  on  the  mat.  In  most 
cases  it  will  be  found  sufficient  to  fasten  it  in  place  by  means  of  a 


with  alum  inn  111  dust. 


),  siaiiu'd  .uray,  oiled   and  i'uV)bed 
Max  field  Pairish's  "P; />/<:,•  Ao/li." 


70 


DESIGN   AND   CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


line  of  paste,  say  ^"  wide,  on 
the  top  margin  of  the  back  of 
the  picture.  Before  pasting  the 
picture  on  the  mat,  locate  it 
carefully  and  mark  its  location 
with  fine  pencil  dots  at  the  two 
upper  corners.  If  the  picture 
is  to  be  mounted  on  the  mat 
with  paste  all  over  the  back, 
the  mat  must  be  of  stiff  enough 
material  to  hold  its  shape.  If 
this  method  is  used,  the  picture 
should  first  be  dipped  in  water, 
the  surface  moisture  dried  off, 
paste  applied  uniformly  over 
the  back,  the  picture  carefully 
laid   in   place    and   pressed   un- 


der 


wei2: 


ht. 


Fig-.  70.     A  narrow  dark  frame  with 
gray  mat. 

(2)   An  opening  the  size  of  the  picture,  may  be  cut  in  the  mat. 


and  the  picture  ])laced  under  this. 
giving  a  soft  border  line  formed 
by  the  shadow  of  the  mat. 

II.  The  Framing  of  a  Jap- 
anese Print.  The  picture  chosen 
to  be  framed,  according  to  the 
following  directions,  is  a  Jap- 
anese print,  Fig.  76.  The  frame 
is  to  be  perfectly  plain.  The 
size  of  the  picture  is  9^2"xl3i/<". 
The  frame  is  to  be  1"  wide  and 
^"  thick.  The  materials  re- 
quired are  as  follows: 

^^White  pine,  %"xi"x4'o." 
Picture  backing,  the  same  size  as 
the  picture,   or  mat,   if   the  picture 
is    to    be    mounted.      The    backing 
comes  %"  thick. 

I  sheet  manilla  paper. 

1  light,  picture  glass,  0^2x13^". 

2  doz.  brads,  %"  No.  18. 

2  screw  eyes,  Brooks  No.  214, 
W  (these  have  ^"  hole). 

Maple  veneering,  6"  square,  if 
available. 


This  "cut  out"  has  the  advantaofe  of 


Fig. 


Narrow  black  frame 
williout  mat. 


"White  pine  is  chosen  for  first  frame  because  it  is  easiest  to  work  accu- 
rately. After  making  a  few  frames  in  pine,  others  m.ay  be  made  in  harder 
wood. 


THE     MITERED     PICTURE-FRAME 


71 


Fig.  72. 
The  blacks  id  the 
print  balanced  by 
the   black    in    the 

frame. 


Plane  up  the  strips  in  two  pieces,  each  long  enough  to  make  one 
long  side  and  one  short  side  of  the  frame.  To  determine  the  length 
of  the  mem.bers  of 
a  frame,  add  to 
the  length  of  each 
dimension  of  the 
picture  twice  the 
width  of  the 
frame.  In  this 
ease  there  will  be 
needed  two  pieces 
abont  two  feet 
long;  thns,  9^" 
(width)  +  3"  + 
ISy/'  (length)  + 
2"  =  23".  Plane 
both  pieces  per- 
fectly straight  and  the  angles  square,  so 
that  they  will  be  1"  wide  and  %"  thick. 
Test   the   straightness   by   sighting  along 

the  length,  as  in  Handwork  in  Wood,  Fig.  107.  Be  sure  that  the 
thickness  and  width  of  both  pieces  is  uniform  thruout.  Unless  the 
members  are  accurate  the  frame  will  not  come  together  right.     The 

next    step   is    to 
plow  out  a  rab- 
bet   (or    rebate) 
along    one    arris 
of  each  piece,  to 
receive  the  glass 
and   the   picture 
the     back- 
This  should 
done      with 
rabbet-plane 
(See    Handworh 
in  Wood,  p.  79). 
This     rabbet 
should    be      J^" 

Fig".  73.    Japanese  prints  framed  with  mats  and  narrow  frames.         wide  and /^"  deep. 


Fig.  74.  Japanese  print 
framed  with  mat  and  narrow 
dark  frame  with  bead. 


and 
ing. 
be 
the 


72 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Figf.  75.    Broad  frame  in  yellow,  m 
liatit  than  the  sail.     Maxfield 


iddle  value,  a  little  less  bril- 
Parrish's  "-The  Pirates." 


To  use  the  rab- 
bet-plane on  a 
narrow  piece  of 
wood,  it  is  first 
necessary  to 
make  a  device 
like  that  shown 
in  Fig.  77.  On 
a  piece  X,  say 
2"  or  3"  wide 
and  slightly 
longer  tlian  the 
long  members 
of  the  frame, 
nail  a  strip 
about  1^"  wide, 
y^"  from  one 
edge.  Into  the 
internal  angle 
formed  by  these 
pieces  and  near 
one  end,  drive  a 
small  nail  or 
)  so  that  its  head 
This  device  when 


screw  (A  in  Fig.  7 
will  project  about  34 
used  is  to  be  fastened  on  the  bench  be- 
tween a  bench-stop  and  the  tail-vise-dog. 
Set  the  rabbet-plane  so  that  the  fence  al- 
lows but  Yi'  of  the  cutter  to  cut,  and 
set  the  depth  gage  so  that  the  plane  can 
cut  3/^"  deep.  The  cutter  should  be  ad- 
justed so  as  to  cut  as  in  an  ordinary 
plane.  Along  the  right  arris  of  the  sole 
is  a  removeable  spur  which  scores  the 
wood  so  that  the  cutter  will  not  tear  out 
but  cut  out  the  shavings  clean.  Before 
beginning  to  plane  see  that  this  spur  is 
sharp  and  that  the  right  corner  of  the 
cutter  is  in  line  with  the  arris  of  the 
sole.     Now  cut  a  trial  rabbet  on  a  waste 


Fiff.  76.     Black  frame 
to  match  the  crow. 


THE     MITERED     PICTURE-FRAME 


73 


piece  of  wood,  which  has  a  straight  edge.  At  the  first  stroke  the  spur 
will  mark  the  width  of  the  rabbet.  Be  careful  to  hold  the  plane  flat, 
tilting  it  neith- 
er to  the  right 
nor  to  the  left. 
The  beginner  in 
his  effort  to 
keep  the  fence 
close  up  to  the 
edge  is  apt  to 
tilt  the  plane  to 
the  right.  This 
makes  the  spur 
cut  in  obliquely, 
as  in  Fig.  114, 
Handworh  in 
Wood. 

If    the    plane 

is      not      runnino"  ^'^S-  ~''^-     Device  for  holding  strips  when  rabbetinK"^. 

true,  stop  planing  and  with  a  chisel  trim  out  the  recess  clean  and 
square  and  then  proceed  with  the  plane  to  the  proper  depth.  After 
sufficient  practice  on  waste  pieces,  plow  the  rab- 
bets on  the  members  of  the  frame,  as  in  Fig.  78. 
Cut  the  24"  piece  of  stock  in  two,  so  as  to  make 
one  long  and  one  short  member  of  the  picture- 
frame.  Fasten  the  device  already  made  between 
a  bench-stop  and  the  dog  in  the  tail-vise.  Lay 
one  member  of  the  frame,  narrow  edge  up,  in 
this  device,  abutting  against  the  nail.  Plow  out 
the  rabbets  in  all  four  members.  The  next 
step  is  to  cut  the  pieces  to  their  proper  lengths  with  a  miter  at  each 
end.  Fig.  79  shows  the  shape.  The  picture  and  glass  are  9J/2"  x 
13^";  the  frame  is  an  inch  wdde  and  the  rabbet  ^"  wide.    Hence  the 


Fig".  78.     End  view  of 
rabbeted  strip. 


Fig".  79.     Rabbeted  and  mitered  member  of  picture-frame. 


74 


DESIGN   AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


finished  outside  length  of  each  member  of  the  frame  will  be  Y^' -{-V^" 
or  ly^"  greater  than  the  length  (and  width)  of  the  picture  and  of  the 
glass.  Then  allow  ^"  for  play  and  the  outside  lengths  of  the  long 
members  of  the  frame  will  be  14%"  (13>4"  +  1>4"  +  Y^')  and 
the  outside  length  of  the  short  members  10%"  (9}^"  +  1^4"  +  %"). 
Place  one  member  face  up  in  the  miter  box,  that  is,  so  that  the 
rabbet  is  down  and  front,  as  in  Fig.  80.  With  the  back-saw  cut  off  one 
end  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees,  taking  care  that  the  side  which  is  to 
be  the  outside  of  the  frame  is  the  longer,  as  in  Fig.  79.  Do  this  to 
one  end  of  all  the  pieces.     Now  cut  the  other  end  of  one  piece  in  the 

same  w^ay,  except  that  the  saw  is 
laid  in  the  other  45°  kerf  of  the 
miter-box.  Cut  the  other  member 
of  equal  length,  using  the  first 
member  as  a  measure,  and  repeat 
with  the  second  pair.  Now  test 
these  angles  Avith  the  try-square 
from  what  will  be  the  face  side  of 
the  member  when  in  the  finished 
frame,  and  again  test  with  the 
bevel  set  at  45  degrees  from  what 
will  be  the  edge  of  the  frame. 
(See  above,  page  52.)  If  ne- 
cessary trim  on  the  bench -hook  with  the  chisel  (as  above,  page  52), 
or  fasten  the  piece  in  the  vise  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees  and  carefully 
plane  toward  the  acute  angle.  This  acute  angle  may  be  supported  by 
a  piece,  X,  also  fastened  in  the  vise,  as  in  Fig.  81.  Be  sure  the  oppo- 
site members  have  equal  lengths. 

Now  set  up  the  picture-frame  clamp  (Fig.  53),  adjusting  the  small 
parts  to  their  proper  holes,  put  the  members  in  place,  face  up,  and 
clamp  the  whole  together  in  a  handscrew.  If  any  corners  do  not  make 
a  close  joint,  either  the  angles  are  not  square  or  the  opposite  mem- 
bers are  of  unequal  lengths.     Make  them  right  before  you  proceed. 

When  everything  is  ready,  take  the  frame  apart,  put  a  little  glue 
(see  Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  128)  on  all  surfaces  that  are  to  join,  and 
reclamp.  Test  the  corners  with  a  try-square,  and  if  they  are  not  right 
angles,  adjust  the  handscrew  by  sliding  one  jaw  sideways,  one  way 
or  the  other,  until  the  angles  come  up  right.  Be  sure  that  the  faces 
are  flush.     Leave  the  frame  in  the  vise  for  6  hours  to  dry.     When 


Position  of  moldirifr  in 
miter-box. 


THE     MITERED     PICTURE-FRAME 


75 


Fig.  81. 


Holding-  member  of  picture  frame 
in  vise  to  trim  the  miter. 


the  frame  is  taken  out  of  the  vise  it  should  be  handled  carefully,  for 

the  joints  still  need  to  be  reinforced.     A  common  way  to  do  this  is 

with  brads.   If  brads  are  used  it 

is  a  safe  precaution  to  make  a 

hole  before  gluing  with  a  brad- 
awl thru  one  piece.     Fasten  the 

frame  in  the  bench  vise,  so  as  to 

grip  only  one  member  at  a  time, 

and   that    vertically.     Bore   the 

hole  and  drive  in  the  brad  with 

great  care. 

A  better  reinforcement  is  by 

means  of  a  spline  or  slip-feather 

(see  Hanclworh   in    Wood,  Fig. 

268,    No.    55).     A    convenient 

way  to  insert  these  is  as  follows : 

Get,  if  possible,  some  maple  ve- 
neer 1/28"  thick  and  cut  it  with 

a  knife  into  8  pieces  about  ^"  x  2".     Fasten  the  frame  in  the  vise 

diagonally,  so  that  one  corner  will  project,  and  with  the  back  saw  cut 

two  saw-kerfs,  A  and  B,  as  in 
Fig.  82  and  Fig.  83.  The  pieces 
of  veneer  should  fit  snugly  into 
these  kerfs.  If  the  veneer  is  too 
thick,  scrape  or  sandpaper  it  un- 
til it  slips  into  the  kerfs.  If  the 
veneer  is  too  thin,  use  two  pieces 
with  glue  between  them  for  each 
kerf,  thinning  them  if  necessary. 
Put  glue  on  both  sides  of 
each  piece  of  veneer,  slip  it  into 
])hice  and  set  the  frame  away  to 
dry.  When  dry,  cut  off  the 
superfluous  veneer  with  a  chisel 
or  knife.  With  the  plane,  set 
very  fine,  smooth  up  any  sur- 
faces that  need  it,  and  sandpaper 

the  whole.     Sand  off  the  sharpness  of  all  arrises.    Be  very  careful  to 

leave  no  glue  showing. 


Fig-.  82.     Sawing  a  kerf  in  wliich 
to  insert  a  spline. 


76 


DESIGN   AND   CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


The  next  step  is  to  stain  the  frame.  As  this  frame  is  to  be  black, 
a  simple  method  of  staining  it  is  to  dissolve  a  little  nigrosine  in  alco- 
hol, and  apply  with  a  brush.  Directions  for  a  more  penetrating  black 
stain  are  to  be  found  in  Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  211. 

A  good  finish  for  picture-frames,  which  are  handled  but  little,  is 

wax.     Apply  as  before  directed.     (See  Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  214). 

Next  cut  the  picture  backing,  so  that  the  grain  will  run  the  short 

way  of  the  picture.    It  can  be  cut 

conveniently  with  a  sharp  knife 
and  a  straight  edge.  If  neces- 
sary, cut  on  both  sides  and  then 
break.  Cut  enough,  and  in  as 
large  pieces  as  possible,  so  as  to 
cover  the  entire  surface  of  the 
picture  and  mat  as  they  lie  in 
the  frame.  Next  cut  the  glass  to 
fit  the  frame,  in  this  case  9^"x 
13^".  A  glass  cutter  with 
hardened  steel  revolving  disc  can 
be  bought  for  10  cents.  It  is 
well  to  practice  on  a  piece  of 
waste  glass.  To  cut  the  glass, 
proceed  as  follows :  Make  marks 
on  the  glass  near  the  edges  at  the 
proper  length.  Lay  a  straight- 
edge of  wood  one-eighth  of  an  inch  to  the  left  of  these  marks  (to  al- 
low for  the  distance  of  the  cutting  disc  from  the  face  of  the  glass 
cutter).  Hold  the  glass  cutter  perpendicular,  and  with  one  firm 
stroke  scratch  the  glass  from  edge  to  edge.  Fig.  84.  Be  sure  that 
the  extreme  edges  are  scratched.  Then  holding  up  the  glass  in  the 
left  hand,  tap  the  underside  of  the  glass  near  the  near  edge  with  the 
glass  cutter,  until  the  edge  just  cracks.  Fig.  85.  Now  take  hold  of 
the  portion  of  the  glass  to  the  right  of  the  scratch  between  the  thumb 
and  first  finger  of  the  right  hand,  and  with  a  slight  pressure  the  glass 
will  break  clean  along  the  line  of  the  scratch.  Fig.  86.  If  the  scratch 
is  so  near  the  right  edge  that  there  is  not  room  to  hold  it  so,  as  de- 
scribed above,  with  a  pair  of  pliers,  carefully  snap  off  the  waste  a 
little  at  a  time.  Fig.  87.     Mark  and  cut  the  width  in  the  same  way. 


--.A^ 

Q^ 

V 

Ww- 

^^^ 

'^X:.. 

'1 

^ 

\ 

Fig.  83.     Kerfs  cut  in  corner  of  picture- 
frame  to  rece  ve  slip  feathers. 


THE     MITERED     riCTURE-FRAME 


77 


Then  wash  the  glass.  An  easy  way  to  do  this  is  with  Bon  Ami 
soap,  rubbed  on  with  a  damp  cloth,  allowed  to  dry  and  polished  off. 
Xow  lay  the  frame,  face  doAvn,  on  the  bench.  Place  the  glass  in  posi- 
tion, the  picture  on  top  of  it,  and  the  picture  back  on  top  of  that, 
fitting  the  pieces  of  it  in  place.     Now  nail  all  down  in  place,  using 


Fig.  84.    Cuttinjsr  glass.    (Stepl.) 


Fig.  85.    Tapping  under  the  scratch 
in  the  glass  to  start  a  crack.     (Step  2.) 


/s'  brads,  No.  18  as  follows:  Lay  a  brad  flat  down  on  the  backing, 
point  to  the  frame.  Press  it  down  with  one  finger,  and  tap  the  head 
with  the  hammer  sliding  on  the  backing.  It  will  facilitate  matters 
to  let  the  frame  rest  against  a  bench-stop  or  a  weight. 

The  next  step  is  to  paste  a  piece  of  Manilla  paper  over  the  back 
of  the  frame  to  keep  out  dust.  Spread  a  thin  film  of  liquid  glue  over 
the  back  of  the  frame,  near  the  outer  edge.  Dampen  one  side  of  the 
Manilla  paper  with  a  wet  cloth  passed  over  it.    Lay  the  dry  side  down 


Fig.  86.     Breaking  11 
(Step  3.) 


Fig. 


87.  Breaking  off  a  narrow  piece 
of  glass  with  the  pliers. 


on  the  back  of  the  frame,  as  flat  as  possible.  When  it  dries  it  will 
be  stretched  taut  and  the  superfluous  paper  can  be  trimmed  off  with 
a  sharp  knife. 

Next  locate  the  screw-eyes  in  the  back  of  the  frame,  sa}  3"  from 
the  top.     Start  a  hole  with  a  brad  awl,  and  screw  home  the  screw- 


78 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


eyes,  (Brooks  No.  214^".)  Stretch  a  flexible  wire  straight  between 
the  screw-eyes,  twisting  it  back  around  itself,  and  the  frame  is  done. 
III.  Additional  Suggestions  for  Frames.  The  frame  just  de- 
scribed is  the  i^lainest  and  simplest  one  possible.  With  but  little  dif- 
ficulty, however,  before  cutting  the  miters,  it  may  be  considerably 


C7  b 


Fii^r.  88.    Sections  of  moldings  for  picture-frames. 

embellished.  For  examples  see  Fig.  88.  Chamfers  can  be  planed  on 
the  front  arrises  of  the  members  of  the  frame,  as  at  a,  or  the  front 
surface  may  be  rounded,  as  at  6.  Instead  of  making  the  frame  flat, 
it  can  be  bevelled  in  or  out,  as  at  c  and  d.  This  should  be  done  with 
the  plane  after  the  rabbet  is  plowed.  A  thin  line  may  be  grooved  near 
the  inner  edge  so  as  to  make  it,  in  cross-section  like  e.  This  is  done 
by  means  of  a  veining  tool  after  the  frame  is  joined  together.  Draw 
the  line  to  be  grooved  carefully  with  a  pencil.  Lay  a  straight  edge 
along  this  line  and  with  the  veining  tool  running  along  the  straight 
edge,  cut  out  the  groove.  Take  care  to  keep  the  depth  as  even  as 
possible.    See  Fig.  176,  p.  130. 

A  considerable  variety  of  beads  and  flutings  may  be  made  by 
means  of  the  Universal  Hand  Beader,  (Stanley's  No.  66)  a  tool  which 
costs  about  75c.     See  Fig.  89. 

More  complicated  moldings,  such  as  that  shown  in  Fig.  90  may  be 
made  with  a  cabinet  scraper,  filed  to  the  desired  shape,  and  clamped 
between  a  pair  of  blocks  of  wood  by  means  of  screws  as  shown  in 
Fig.  91.  The  two  edges  A  and  B 
serve  as  guides  sliding  along 
both  edges  of  the  molding. 

x\  nosing  may  be  added  to  the 
outside  of  a  molding,  as  in  Fig. 
88,  /,  as  follows: 

Prepare  thin  strips  of  wood,  say 
the  frame  is  thick.  Eound  off  one  edge  as  follows : — Fasten  the  jack 
plane  upside  down  in  the  vise,  hold  the  strip  at  an  angle  and  pull  it 
over  the  plane  cutter  so  as  to  plane  off  an  arris,  Fig.  92.  Do  this  for 
both  the  arrises  on  one  narrow  edge.     Finish  it  round  with  sand- 


Fig.  89.    Hand  beader  with  cutters. 

V^'  thick  and   V^'  wider  than 


THE     MITERED     PICTURE-FRAME  79 

paper.  Or  better,  round  this  with  the  hand  header,  Fig.  89,  or  the 
cornering  tool  {Handwork  in  Wood,  Fig.  124.)  Drive  thru  these 
strips  several  little  brads,  so  that  the  points  project  slightly  and  fit 
them  exactly  in  place  on  the  outside  of  the  members  of  the  frame. 
Prepare  several  handscrews  so  as  to  clamp  these  strips  to  the  mem- 


Fig.  90.    A  frame  with  delicate  moldings,  in  keeping  with  the  delicate  handling  of  the 
painting.     See  also  Fig.  91 

bers,  taking  care  to  protect  the  inner  edges  of  the  members  by  waste 
strips  of  wood.  Fig.  93.  When  all  is  ready  glue  the  strips  in  place, 
clamping  them  firmly  with  the  handscrews.  The  brads  will  keep 
them  from  slipping  out  of  place.  Wipe  off  superfluous  glue  carefully 
with  a  rag  moistened  with  very  hot  water.  When  dry,  remove  the 
handscrews  and  pull  out  the  brads.  The  brad  holes  can  be  closed  up 
by  wetting  them  and  placing  a  hot  iron  on  them.  This,  by  the  way, 
is  a  good  method  of  closing  up  all  surface  bruises  where  the  fibers 
themselves  are  not  broken.  Finally  cut  the  miters  and  proceed  as 
before. 


80 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


A  frame  can  be  made  to  look  lighter  by  plowing  out  a  narrow  rab- 
bet on  the  outer  edges  of  the  members  as  in  Fig.  88,  g.  This  can 
best  be  done  before  the  miters  are  cut,  but  it  may  be  done  after  as- 


Fig-.  91.     Improvised  molding  scraper. 

sembling.  In  this  case,  before  rabbeting  take  care  to  trim  off  with  a 
chisel  the  arrises  at  the  corners  of  the  frame  so  that  they  will  not 
splinter  off.     See  above,  p.  44,  Fig.  26. 

Of  essentially  the  same  construction  as  a  picture-frame,  are  the 
glass  bottomed  trays,  shown  in  Fig.  94.    They  are  made  with  mitered 


Fig.  92.     Method  of  planing  off  chamfer 
on  a  thin  piece  of  wood. 


Protecting  5//p 


93.     Method  of  clamping  nosing  on 
outside  of  picture  molding. 


molding,  and  the  joints  are  mitered  with  a  slip-feather  inserted.  A 
Japanese  stencil  is  laid  between  the  two  sheets  of  glass,  fastened  into 
the  rabbet  with  thin  strips  tacked  in  place. 


THE     MITERED     PICTURE-FRAME 


81 


Fig-,  94.     Glass  bottomed  trays  made  with  mitered  frames. 


82 


DESIGN   AND  CONSTKUCTION   IN   WOOD 


r 


n 


hi 


£Jl 


A  =r:7i2izi_II^5^'< 


T 


f 


'7  ~qv  w 


^=^3rz 


ua 


c5:>i t-ci> 


Fig-.  95.    Candlesticks. 


Chapter  Vil 
THE  CANDLESTICK 

Altho  the  essential  features  of  this  project  set  fixed  limitations  to 
its  design,  yet  a  great  variety  of  forms  and  embellishments  are  pos- 
sible; see  Fig.  95.  The  success  of  the  design  depends,  primarily,  on 
the  harmonious  unity  of  the  parts.  If  the  design  be  good,  the  piece 
is  worth  much  painstaking  labor. 

This  project  consists  of  two  parts,  the  copper  socket  and  pan,  and 
the  wooden  base  supporting  these. 

I.  The  essential  features  to  be  fixed  are: 

1.  The  size  of  the  candle  to  be  used.  (Common  sizes  are  M" 
or  lyk"-)     This  determines  the  diameter  of  the  socket. 

2.  The  pan,  of  such  a  shape  as  to  catch  the  drip  well.  This  is 
to  be  soldered  to  the  socket. 

3.  A  base,  large  enough  to  be  stable.  The  construction  sug- 
gested for  this  base  is  a  cross-lap  joint. 

4.  A  convenient  means  of  handling.  This  may  be  either  a  loop 
for  the  forefinger.  Fig.  96,  or  a  column  to  be  grasped.  Fig.  97. 

5.  The  kind  of  wood.  The  piece  does  not  require  much  ma- 
terial and  is  worth  while  making  in  wood  of  a  good  species  and  qual- 
ity. Mahogany,  black  walnut,  and  sweet  gum  are  not  difficult  to 
work,  can  be  finished  handsomely  and  their  colors  harmonize  well 
with  the  copper  parts. 

II.  The  refinement  of  the  proportions.  The  candlestick  without 
the  column  may  well  be  quite  small,  each  member  of  the  joint  being 
not  more  than  4"  or  5"  long  and  1^^"  or  more  wide. 

With  a  column,  Nos.  2,  4,  6,  8,  Fig.  97,  the  size  of  the  base  will 
naturally  increase;  the  higher  the  column,  the  broader  the  base.  The 
candlestick  must  seem  as  well  as  be  stable. 

If  feet  are  added,  Nos.  2,  7,  Fig.  97,  the  effect  of  stability  will 
be  increased. 

III.  Embellishments.  These  include  modifications  in  outlines  by 
modeling.  Fig.  97,  No.  5,  chamfering.  Fig.  97,  No.  8,  coving  Fig.  98, 

83 


84 


DESIGX    AND   COXSTKUCTION   IN    WOOD 


No.  8,  beading,  Fig.  98,  No.  1,  or  even  carving,  Fig.  96.  Sugges- 
tions for  such  treatment  are  also  given  in  other  pictures.  Whatever 
is  done,  the  treatment  should  be  harmonious  thruout. 


Fig-.  96.     Low  candlesticks. 


An  appearance  of  lightness  ma}^  be  given  to  the  column  by  con- 
structing it  as  in  Fig.  99. 

The  best  finish  for  a  candlestick  that  may  be  frequently  handled 
and  is  liable  to  be  smeared  with  wax  or  tallow,  is  boiled  linseed  oil, 
thoroly  rubbed.  If  made  of  mahogany,  the  color  may  be  darkened 
with  bicliromate  of  potash.     See  below,  p.  92. 


THE    CANDLESTICK 


85 


86 


DESIGN   AND   COXSTHUCTION    IN    WOOD 


THE   CANDLESTICK 


87 


IV.  Direclions  for  making  cross-lap  joint.  In  order  not  to  waste 
good  wood  in  learning  how  to  make  the  cross-lap  joint,  it  is  well  to 
make  first  a  practice  joint  of  pine  or  other  soft  wood. 

Select  a  piece  of  straight  grained  pine,  and  carefully  plane  it  to 
the  size,  ^"xl^"xll",  finishing  all  surfaces.     For  the  order  of  plan- 


Fig-.  99.    Column  of  candlestick  lightened. 

ing  surfaces,  (see  Handwork  in  Wood,  page  72.)  Be  careful  that  the 
piece  is  of  uniform  width  and  thickness  thruout,  and  finish  both  ends 
clean  and  square.  Mark  a  point  5"  from  each  end  of  the  piece,  score 
with  a  sharp  knife  all  around  the  piece  at  both  these  points,  cut  a 
little  groove  on  the  waste  side  of  the  lines,  on  one  broad  surface,  (see 
Handwork  in  Wood,  page  66,  and  Fig.  91),  saw  off  the  waste  and 
trim  the  ends  with  the  block-plane.  Now  make  the  half-lap  joint  as 
described  in  Handwork  in  Wood,  page  155. 


88 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


A. 
B. 
C. 


Directions  follow  for  making  the  candlestick  shown  in  Fig.  100. 
The  materials  required  are,  mahogany  or  black  walnut : 

I  piece,   %"xi^"xii. 
I  piece,  ^"x2^"x8^". 
I  piece,  i^"xi^"x3". 

Brads  M"  No.   i8. 

Copper,  gage  No.  20,  i  piece  lY^^ynY^" . 

One  piece  i"x3". 

I.  The  Base.  When  the  practice  joint  has  been  satisfactorily  made, 
proceed  in  the  same  way  with  the  more  valuable  wood  for  the  base. 

It  is  better  not  to  sandpaper  the  members  until  they  are  glued  to- 
gether, as  an  otherwise  tight  joint  may  thus  be  made  loose.     Put  a 


>\ 


'J 

Fig.  100.     Candlestick. 

little  glue  in  the  joint  and  clamp  tight  in  the  bench  vise  or  in  a 
handscrew,  protecting  the  surfaces  by  means  of  pieces  of  soft  wood 
When  dry,  clean  up  and  dress  the  faces  flush. 


THE    CANDLESTICK 


89 


Fig-.  101.  The  way  the  grain  should  and 
should  not  run  in  jointed  column  of  candle- 
slick. 


With  a  gouge  of  the  correct 

curve,  carve  out  the  coves  along 

the  upper  arrises.     Sandpaper. 
II.     The  Column.    If  there  is 

to  be  a  column,  make  that  next. 

If     you     have    no    wood     thick 

enough,    (1^")    to    make    it   of 

one  piece,  face  off  a  piece  of  ^" 

stock  long  enough  so  that  it  can 

be  cut  in  two,  and  the  two  pieces 

glued  together  so  as  to  make  one. 

Be  very  careful  to  make  this  a 

close  joint,  and.  to  put  them  to- 

getlier  so  as  to  have  the  grain  running  in  the  same  direction  when 

glued  together,  .see  Fig.  101.     Dress  up  this  piece  true  and  square, 

l^"xl^"x3". 
To  taper  the 
column  proceed 
as  follows :  With 
the  marking- 
gage,  gage  lines 
on  the  upper  end 
as  on  Fig.  102, 
E  F  and  G  H. 
On  two  opposite 
sides  rule  fine 
pencil    lines,    as 

Fig.  102.     Lay-out  of  column  for  candlestick.  P    J      and      H    J, 

Clamp  the  piece  on  the  bench  between  the  bench-stop  and  the  vise- 
dog,  and  plane  down  to  these  ruled  lines.  Plane  off  from  what  is  to 
be  the  narrow  end  first,  so  as  to 
get  a  surface  parallel  to  the  de- 
sired line  as  vsoon  as  possible. 
When  these  two  sides  are  cor- 
rectly tapered,  lay  out  the  other 
two  sides  in  a  similar  way,  draw- 
ing lines  at  L  J  and  M  K,  Fig. 
102,  and  plane  to  shape.  If  for 
lack  of  a  tail-vise,  it  is  necessary 


1 

1 

J 

^—^ 

— 

1 

rz 

— =^=7 -J 

1 

Fig-.  103.  Wedg-ed-shaped  pieces  make 
it  possible  to  hold  the  tapered  piece  in 
the  vise. 


90 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


1 

1 

1 

A 

o 

I 

1  ■ 

1 

Fig-.  104.     Drill  holes 
in  pedestal  for  brads. 


to  hold,  this  piece,  already  tapered  on  two  sides,  sidewise  in  the  vise, 
two  blocks  of  soft  wood  need  to  be  made  first,  having  a  similar  taper, 
and  between  these  the  column  can  be  held  without  injury  in  the  vise 
as  in  Fig.  103.  These  blocks  will  also  be  useful 
in  holding  the  column  while  adding  chamfers  or 
other  embellishments. 

The  column  is  now  to  be  jointed  to  the  ped- 
estal. The  simplest  way  to  do  this  is  with  a  butt 
dowel  joint.  Bore  with  a  number  40  twist  drill 
two  holes  in  the  pedestal  as  at  A,  A,  Fig.  104. 
Put  a  touch  of  thin  glue  on  the  large  end  of  the 
column,  fit  it  exactly  in  place  and  drive  two  brads  thru  the  holes  A,  A, 
Fig.  104,  letting  the  heads  project  slightly.  If  the  joint  is  not  close, 
clamp  the  base  tightly  to  the  col- 
umn with  a  handscrew.  When 
dry,  remove  the  handscrew, 
gently  pull  out  one  brad,  bore 
a  5/16"  hole  in  its  place,  work 
some  glue  into  the  hole  and  drive 
in  a  dowel.  Repeat  with  the 
other  brad. 

Trim  off  the  ends  of  the  dow- 
els.   Or  the  column  may  be  mor- 
tised into  the  base,  making  what 
is  called  a  '^three-way  joint."    For  directions,  see  Handworh  in  Wood, 
pp.  160-161. 

III.     The  Capital.     One  piece,  %"xl^"l^".     If  this  is  to  be 


Figr.  105.     Cutliiiff  copper  with 
snips. 


Fig-.  106.     Ends  of  strip  for  socket  beveled  so  as  to  butt  well. 

simply  a  flat  rectangular  piece  of  wood,  dress  it  to  the  proper  size 
and  sandpaper  it  and  dowel  it  or  screw  it  to  the  column  with  two  long 


THE   CANDLESTICK 


91 


Fig-.  107.     Stake  for  hammering- 
copper  socket. 


screws  (1^",  No.  4).    See  Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  126.    If  the  socket 

and  pan  are  to  be  made  as  in  Fig.  113,  the  capital  should  have  in  it  a 

hole  into  which  the  socket  may 

fit.     For  a  ^"  candlestick,  this 

hole  should  be  %"  in  diameter. 

Take  for  the  capital  a  piece  of 

wood   several   inches   long.     The 

extra   length   makes   it   easier   to 

plane,  and  lessens  the  danger  of 

splitting  Avhen  the  hole  is  bored. 

Plane  it  with  sqaare  edges  to  the 

proper  width  and  thickness  and  bore  a  %"  hole  into  it,  gripping  it 

sidewise  in  the  vise.    This  also  is  to  prevent  splitting  it.    If  the  piece 

is  Ys"  thick  the  hole  should  be  about  ^"  deep,  bored  with  a  Foerstner 

bit.  Next  saw  off  to  the  proper 
length  and  finish  the  ends  of 
the  piece  neatly  with  the  block- 
plane.  It  may  be  glued  and 
screwed  securely  to  the  column, 
driving  the  screws  thru  what 
wood  is  left  at  the  bottom  of 
the  hole. 

IV.  The  FeeL  Four  pieces 
^%"x2"x2".  Plane  up  one  strip 
of  wood  to  the  desired  thick- 
ness; in  this  case  }i"  thick,  2" 
wide  and  8^"  long,  and  if  the 
arrises  are  chamfered  or  other- 
wise shaped,  this  should  also  be 
done  before  cutting  up  into 
small  pieces.  After  cutting  up, 
finish  what  are  to  be  the  outside 
ends  of  each  piece  harmoniously 
M'ith  their  sides.  That  is,  have 
the  shape  continuous  around 
each  foot. 
To  fasten  on  the  feet,  drive  from  the  underside  of  each  foot  two 

or  three  small  brads,  ^",  No.  18,  until  the  points  just  prick  thru. 


1 

.^mj 

li 

^ 

'-«iii^ 

^»  V. 

li 

fe 

^^^^ 

'^i^^^B/p 

m 

Fig.  108.    Hammering  a  strip 
into  a  cylinder. 


92 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


Fig.  109. 


Method  of  hammering  a  cylinder 
out  of  a  strip. 


Put  a  little  glue  in  the  middle  of  the  upper  surface  of  each  foot,  ad- 
just and  press  it  to  its  proper  place,  and  drive  the  brads  home.  The 
piece  is  now  ready  to  be  cleaned  up  and  finished.  After  carefully 
sandpapering,  wet  the  surface  with  water  in  order  to  "raise  the  grain,'' 

and  when  dry  sandpaper  once 
more.  Then  when  the  water  stain 
is  applied,  the  grain  will  not 
rise  again. 

If  the  piece  is  made  of  ma- 
hogany, it  may  be  darkened  with 
a  solution  of  bichromate  of 
potash  crystals,  to  be  obtained  at 
any  druggist's.  Make  a  satu- 
rate solution.  It  dissolves  read- 
ily in  hot  water.  If  this  is  ap- 
plied full  strength,  the  color  of 
the  wood  will  be  a  dark  brownish 
red.  A  good  proportion  is  one 
part  of  the  saturate  solution  to 
three  parts  of  water.  Apply  with  a  brush  and  wipe  off  the  surface 
at  once  with  cotton  waste.  If,  after  a  little  exposure  to  the  light, 
this  does  not  appear  dark  enough,  another  coat  may  be  added. 

Eub  down  the  surface  with  steel  wool.  A  simple  and  effective 
method  of  finishing  this  piece  is  to  oil  it  with  a  mixture  of  boiled 
linseed  oil,  one  part,  and  turpentine,  two  parts.  This  should  be  wiped 
dry  and  rubbed  hard  many  times  with  a  little  of  the  oil  on  a  rag. 

If  more  gloss  is  desired,  give  the  piece  a  coat 
of  wax.     (See  Handwork  in  Wood,  page  214.) 

Y.  The  Metal worh.  For  the  socket  and  pan 
for  the  candlestick,  sheet  copper,  gage  No.  20,  is 
needed.  To  get  the  proper  size  for  the  socket  or 
cylinder,  wrap  a  piece  of  paper  around  the  candle 
to  get  its  circumference,  and  add  to  this  four 
times  the  thickness  of  the  copper.  With  the 
snips,  Fig.  105,  cut  a  piece  of  copper  this  length, 
and  as  wide  as  the  depth  of  the  socket,  say  1".  Hammer  the  piece 
flat  with  the  mallet  on  the  bench.  File  the  long  edges  straight  and 
parallel  and  square,  and  the  end  edges  square  to  the  side  edges,  but 


Fie-.  110.  Cvlinder 
wired  to  hold  joint 
in  place. 


THE    CANDLESTICK 


93 


.-  /#  V- 

1 
1 

(@  @\ 

a 

1 

b 

Fig".  111.  Pan  for  candlestick. 


with  a  slight  bevel  toward  what  is  to  be  the  inside  of  the  socket,  so 
that  when  the  piece  is  curved  into  cylindrical  shape,  the  ends  will 
butt  well,  as  in  Fig.  106. 

To  hammer  this  strip  into  shape,  you  need  a  cylinder  of  iron  ^" 
thick  with  flat  surfaces  filed  at  one  end,  as  in  Fig.  107,  so  that  it  can  be 
held  firmly  in  the  iron  vise.  A  piece  of 
gas  pipe,  with  one  end  crushed  together 
will  do.  For  the  hammering,  use  a  small 
wooden  or  horn  mallet,  so  as  not  to  mar 
the  surface  of  the  copper.  See  Fig.  108. 
To  curve  the  copper  strip  on  this  im- 
provised anvil,  hold  one  end  of  it  so 
that  it  projects  slightly  to  one  side  of 
the  anvil,  (cylinder)  and  hit  this  pro- 
jecting end  with  the  mallet.  Push  out 
the  copper  a  little  more  and  hammer 
again.  See  Figs.  108  and  109.  Con- 
tinue this  process  until  the  strip  be- 
comes a  cylinder.  If  any  part  has  been 
bent  too  much  lay  that  part  directly  on  the  anvil  and  hit  there. 
If  any  part  needs  bending  more  to  make  the  circle  perfect,  lay  that 
part  on  the  anvil  and  hit  just  off  the  point  of  contact.  Be  particu- 
larly careful  to  curve  the  extreme  ends,  and  see  that  they  butt  ex- 
actly thruout,  in  order  that  they  may  be  soldered  well  later. 

Now  wrap  and  twist  a  piece 
of  binding  wire.  Gage  No.  24, 
to  hold  the  butted  edges  tight 
together.  Fig.  110,  and  solder 
the  joint.  *A  simple  way  to  do 
this  is  as  follows :  Touch  the 
joint  thruout  its  length  with  a 
little  stick  dipped  in  soldering 
fluid.  (This  may  be  bought 
prepared  at  a  hardware  store, 
either  in  fluid  form,  or  as  solder- 
ing salt,  (Yager's)  to  be  dissolved  in  water  according  to  the  direc- 
tions given,  or  may  be  made  by  digesting  zinc  in  muriatic  acid.) 


Fig.  112.     Socket  and  pan  wired  together 
for  soldering. 


■See  Simple  Soldering,  by  Edw.  Thatcher.     Pub.  by  Spon  &  Chamberlain. 


94 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Fig.  113.    Pan  encircling  socket. 


On  the  joint  lay  a  small  piece,  say  j4"j  of  wire  solder.    By  means 

of  a  pair  of  pliers,  hold  the  cylinder,  joint  down,  over  the  gas  flame 

of  a  bunsen  burner  or  gas  stove,  till  the  solder  melts.     With  a  small 

stick  wipe  the  solder  back  and  forth  in  the  joint  and  set  aside  to  cool. 

To  make  the  pan  proceed  as  follows:     With  the  snips  cut  out  a 

square  of  copper,  IS/g"  square, 
snip  off  the  sharp  corners,  and 
file  the  edges  square  and 
smooth.  See  Fig.  111.  Use 
fine  sandpaper  or  emery  cloth 
to  polish  up  the  surface.  Turn 
up  the  edges  slightly  all  around 
as  follows:  Set  a  bar  of  iron, 
say  34"  thick  and  ^"  wide,  up- 
right in  the  iron  vise.  File  the 
end  so  that  it  will  be  slightly 
rounded  and  smooth,  and  with  the  horn  hammer,  hammer  the  edges 
over  this  "stake",  as  it  is  called.  See  Fig.  Ill  &  for  the  cross-section 
of  the  pan.  Be  particularly  careful  to  make  the  corners  all  alike,  and 
to  keep  the  bottom  of  the  pan  flat.  If  it  becomes  concave  turn  it 
upside  down  on  a  flat  surface  and  tap  the  bottom  gently  with  the 
horn  hammer. 

With  a  twist-drill,  held  in  a  hand-drill,  (see  Handworh  in  Wood, 
p.    106,   Fig.    187,)    bore  and   countersink  two    small   holes   in   the 
bottom  of  the  pan  to  fit  ^"  N"o.  2  screws,  as  in  Fig.  111.     These 
holes  should  be  inside  a  circle  ^"  in  diameter  at 
the  center  of  the  pan,   so  as  to  be  included  in 
the  socket. 

Scrape  the  surface  to  be  soldered  together 
bright  and  clean,  and  tie  the  socket  already  made, 
firmly  to  the  pan  with  binding  wire  as  in  Fig.  112. 
Cover  the  joint  of  the  socket  with  rouge  made  into 
paste  with  water.  This  is  to  prevent  its  unsolder- 
ing when  the  pan  is  heated. 

Apply  soldering  fluid  to  the  joint  from  the  inside  of  the  socket, 
lay  a  couple  of  pieces  of  wire  solder  next  the  joint,  hold  the  pan  and 
socket  over  the  gas  flame  just  until  the  solder  melts,  and  then  quickly 
wipe  the  melted  solder  into  place,  as  before.    If  the  joint  is  close  and 


Fig.  114     Lay-out  for 
pan  shown  in  Fig-.113. 


THE  CANDLESTICK 


95 


the  soldering  fluid  is  carefully 
applied,  the  solder  will  hardly 
sliow  on  the  outside.  If  it  does, 
it  can  be  cut  off  with  a  sharp 
knife. 

Polish  the  surface  with  a 
fine  emery  cloth  and  then  with 
a  cloth  smeared  with  tripoli,  or 
on  a  buffing  wheel,  if  that  is 
available.  To  darken,  dip  in  a 
solution  of  liver  of  sulphur, 
(potassium  sulphide)  and  coat 
with  turpentine. 


A    slightly     more     difficult      - — 


Fig.  115.    Using-  a  coping-saw. 


Fig.  116,     Wood  notched  to  hold  copper 
while  sawing-. 


form    of     socket     and     pan     is 

shown  in  Fig.  113.     For  this  form,  after  the  pan  has  been  shaped,  cut 

a  hole  in  it  thus :     Find  the  exact  center  of  the  square  by  drawing  the 

diagonals,  and  with  the  com- 
passes draw  a  circle  just  the 
outside  size  of  the  socket,  as  in 
Fig.  114.  Drill  a  hole  some- 
where within  this  circle,  and 
with  a  coping-saw.  Fig.  115, 
saw  out  the  circle,  sawing  al- 
ways   within    the    line.      While 

sawing,  the  pan  may  be  conveniently  held  over  the  notch  of  a  piece 

of  wood  cut  in  the  shape  shoAvn  in  Fig.  116.     Then  file  the  hole  to 

exactly  fit  the  socket.     Tie  the  two  in  place  with 

iron  wire,  and  solder  from  the  under  side.  This 

socket  may  also  have  a  bottom  soldered  to  it,  but 

this  is  not  absolutely  necessary. 

The  rim  of  the  socket  may  be  embellished 

by  having  a  ring  of  copper  wire   (^"    thick) 

soldered  to  it  as  shown  in  cross-section  in  Fig. 

117.     The  photographs  given  show  a  variety  of  designs  for  the  pans. 

An  easy  way  to  hammer  out  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.   118,  Nos.  1 

and  3,  is  to  gouge  out  of  a  block  of  maple  a  mold  of  the  desired  shape, 

tack  down  with  carpet  tacks  the  copper  over  this  mold,  as  in  Fig.  119 


Fig-.  117.     Wire  ring- 
around  edg-e  of  cup. 


96 


DESIGN   AND   CONSTRUCTION    IN    WOOD 


THE   CANDLESTICK 


97 


^^ ®- 


^ 


and  hammer  it  into  the  mold  with  the  pecn  of  the  horn  hammer.    The 
depression  thus  made  may  be  set  into  a  corresponding  depression  cut 

in  the  wood  of  the  candlestick 
and  the  whole  fastened  in  place 
with  copper  tacks,  the  heads  of 
which  are  filed   square. 

In  some  of  the  designs  cop- 
per handles  are  shown.  See 
Fig.  96.  They  are  shaped  in  a 
way  similar  to  that  of  the  cups, 
and  in  some  cases  are  screwed 
to  the  wood  under  the  rim  of 
the  saucer,  and  in  some  cases 
soldered  to  the  socket  and  pan. 
Other  simple  projects  in- 
the     flowerpot    stands,    shown    in 


Fig.  119.    Rim  pan  tacked 
down  over  mold. 


volving    the    cross-lap    joint    are 

Fig.  120,  having  either  one  or  two  joints. 


Fig-.  120.     Flowerpot-stands,  made  with  half-lap  joint. 

The  same  joint  is  used  in  the  taboret.  Chapter  VIII. 


—7 


98 


DESIGN   AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Fig.  121.     Sniokiiig-lable. 


Chapter  VIII 


TABOEET 


In  order  to  keep  the  construction  of  this  project  as  simple  as  pos- 
sible, the  limitations  imposed  are  that  the  frame  shall  consist  of  two 
cross-lap  joints  made  of  boards  imder  one  inch  thickness,  to  which 
are  butted  and  doweled  the  legs, 
having  approximately  the  same 
thickness.  To  this  frame  is  at- 
tached a  board  top. 

Even  under  these  limita- 
tions, great  variety  is  possible, 
as  shown  in  the  accompanying 
photographs.  The  size  may  vary 
from  a  tea  or  smoking  table.  Fig. 
121  or  123,  to  a  low  stand,  a  few 
inches  in  height.  Fig.  122. 

The  wood  suggested  is  chest- 
nut or  C3^press,  because  of  their 
easy  working  qualities,  but  soft 
mahogany  or  baywood  may  be 
used  with  great  success. 

The  refinement  of  propor- 
tions includes  the  consideration 
of  such  items  as  the  width  and 
thickness  of  the  legs  in  propor- 
tion to  their  height,  the  dispo- 
sition of  the  stretchers,  whether 
they   shall  be   on    edge   or  flat.  Fig.  122.   Lowtaboret. 

and  where  located,  the  amount  of  projection  of  the  top  beyond  the 
legs  and  the  shape  of  the  legs  and  of  the  top. 

The  attractiveness  of  the  project  depends  largely  upon  its  good 
proportions  and  upon  the  beauty  of  the  grain  of  the  wood.  The 
rounding  of  the  dowels  into  projecting  buttons,  plainly  indicating 


99 


100 


DESIGN   AND   CONSTRUCTION    IN   WOOD 


JC 

■  .        "iM 

^^^^^^^^^^HMbu                 '^M 

i«\ 

the  structure,  the  use  of 
chamfers,  or  coves,  and 
the  addition  of  feet,  as  in 
Figs.  121  and  123  are 
suggested.  The  color 
depends  largely  upon 
its  intended  environment. 
Chestnut  turns  to  a 
heautiful  hrown  when  it 
is  exposed  to  ammonia 
fumes  and  then  oiled. 

Since  a  taboret  is  to 
he  used  to  hold  a  potted 
plant,  the  finish  should 
be  such  as  will  stand 
moisture  best.  That  is 
boiled  linseed  oil. 

The  process  of  mak- 
ing the  typical  form, 
Fig  121,  will  be  described  first,  and  the  changes  later.  The  drawing 
with  dimensions  is  shown  in  Fig.  125.     Either  chestnut  or  cypress  is 


Fig-.  123.     Tea-table. 


Fig-.  124.    Simple  type  form  of  taboret. 


TABORET 


101 


Fig.  125.     Taborct. 


102 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


good  for  this  project.  Chestnut  has  rather  a  coarse  texture,  and  is 
liable  to  split  along  the  annual  rings  on  account  of  the  presence  of 
many  pores.  Cypress  is  likely  to  contain  many  fine  checks,  produced 
in  seasoning. 

Choose  if  possible  wood  with  a  pleasing  grain,  especially  for  the  top. 

The  materialsjiecessary  are  as  follows: 

A.  4  pieces  ^"x2%"xi7". 

B.  2  pieces  ^"x2"x8^". 

C.  2  pieces  ^"x2i/^"x8^". 

D.  I  piece  ^"xi3"xi3".     This   may   be   made   of   two   pieces   jointed 

together,  as  shown  later. 
i6  dowel-pins  5/i6"x  1}i". 
4    brass  mending  straps   ^^"x2",  No.  6o. 
12  screws  ^i"  No.  4. 
16  brads  No.  13,  2]//',  No.  12. 

Plane  up  four  pieces,  A,  to  proper  size.  In  order  to  true  the  ends 
exactly,  all  four  pieces  may  be  clamped  together  in  a  handscrew  and 
the  bench  vise,  and  block-planed  at  one  time.  First  plane  one  set  of 
ends,  then  reverse   and  plane  the  other  set.     Great  pains  must  be 

taken  to  keep  the  whole  block  square,  or 
all  the  pieces  will  not  be  of  the  same 
length. 

Plane  up  the  stretchers,  B  and  C,  in 
a  similar  way,  all  four  to  exactly  the  same 
length.  Make  a  cross-lap  joint  with 
pieces  B  and  with  pieces  C  according  to 
directions  given  in  Handwork  in  ^Yood, 
p.  155. 

The  difference  between  the  joints  in 
pieces  B  and  pieces  C  is  that  in  B  the 
edges  lap,  whereas    in  C    the  faces  lap. 
With  this  difference  however  the  process 
of  making  is  the  same,  the  flat  joint  being  slightly  more  difficult. 

Glue  these  joints  together  and  leave  in  a  handscrew  to  set,  testing 
the  joint  to  see  that  it  is  a  perfect  right  angle. 

To  fit  the  lower  stretchers  to  the  legs  proceed  thus:  All  around 
the  legs,  3%"  from  the  bottom  of  each,  draw  a  fine  pencil  line,  and 
on  the  inside  of  the  legs,  at  3/16"  from  the  edges,  mark  points  as  in 
Fig.  126.     On  this  line  on  the  outside  of  all  the  legs  place  a  mark 


Fitr,  126.     Lay-out  01  joint  ol 
lower  stretcher  with  leg. 


TABORET 


103 


Fig-.  127      Center  lines  AB  and 
CD  marked  on  stretchers. 


•)4"  from  each  edge  to  indicate  the  centers  of  the  holes  for  the  dowel- 
pins,  with  which  the  joints  are  to  be  fastened  together.  See  Fig.  12G. 
Mark  center  line  on  the  edges  of  stretch- 
ers C  at  the  ends,  as  at  A  B,  Fig.  127. 

To  fit  the  upper  stretchers  B  to  the 
legs,  proceed  as  follows :  Draw  a  fine  pen- 
cil line  across  the  center  of  the  top  ends 
of-  the  legs  and  continue  this  line  down 
both  outside  and  inside  of  the  legs  for 
2>^"  from  the  top,  as  in  C  /)  E,  Fig.  128. 
On  this  line  on  the  outside  of  the  leg  in- 
dicate points  A  B,  Yz"  and  1^"  from  the 
top  for  centers  of  holes  for  the  dowel-pins. 
Mark  center  lines  on  the  edges  of  the 
stretchers  B  at  the  ends,  C  D,  as  in 
Fig.  127. 

If  the  legs  are  to  be  shaped,  as  in  Fig.  129  the  following  method 
may  be  used : 

Clamp  two  legs  side  by  side  and  bore  a  %"  hole  at  tLe  proper 
point  A,  in  Fig.  130,  setting  the  spur  of  the  bit  directly  in  the  crack 

between  the  two  legs.  Bore  half-way 
through,  reverse,  and  finish  boring.  Re- 
peat on  all  the  edges.  The  surplus  wood 
may  then  be  worked  out  with  a  saw  and 
spokeshave  or  small  plane. 

Next  prepare  16  dowel-pins,  each 
1^"  long  and  5/16"  diameter.  When 
there  are  a  number  of  pins  to  cut  off,  it 
saves  time  to  use  a  miter-box,  fastening  a 
stop  at  the  proper  distance,  (1^"  in  this 
case)  from  the  kerf,  and  so  being  able  to 
cut  each  one  off  without  stopping  to 
measure,  Fig.  131. 

N"ext  test  the  size  of  the  dowel-pins  in 
a  5/16"  hole  bored  in  a  piece  of  waste  wood.  The  fit  should  be  snug. 
If  the  dowel-pins  are  too  large  to  drive  in  easily,  reduce  their  size  by 
driving  them  with  a  mallet,  not  a  hammer,  thru  the  5/16"  hole  in  the 
dowel-plate.  Fig.  132. 


Fig.  128.     Lay-out  of  joint  of  up 
per  stretcher  with  leg. 


104 


DESIGX  AND   COXSTRUCTIOX   IX   WOOD 


Point  one  end  of  each  pin  with  a  dowel-pointer,  {Handwork  in 
Wood,  p.  83),  to  insure  their  entering  the  holes  readily  and  round  off 
the  other  end  into  a  button  shape  as  in  Fig.  133.  This  may  be  done 
conveniently   with    a  ^harp   knife  and  sandpaper,    or   better   still,  of 

course,    on    a 
lathe. 

Next  the  legs 
and  stretchers 
are  assembled  as 
follows :  With 
t  h  e  hand-drill 
(Hand  work  in 
lFooJ,p.l06,Fig. 
187),  holding  a 
No.  40  twist-drill 
which  is  slightly 
smaller  than 
the  brad  to  be 
used  (2>^^  No. 
12),  bore  holes 
thru  all  the  legs' 
at  the  points  in- 
dicated for  the 
dowel-pins,  four 
in  each  leg.  Take 
especial  pains  to 
bore  at  right 
angles  to  the 
surface,  because 
these  holes  will 
afterward  deter- 
mine the  direc- 
^",  No.  12)  into 

these  holes  so  that  their  points  just  come  thru.  Start  the  brads 
(2^",  No.  12)  into  tliese  holes,  and  placing  each  leg  at  its  proper 
place  on  each  stretcher,  drive  the  nails  into  the  stretchers  about  yi" 
and  take  apart.  The  dents  thus  made  by  the  nails  in  the  ends  of  the 
stretchers  will  make  it  easy  to  locate  them  in  place  when  gluing  up. 


Fig-.  129.     Taboret  wiih  shaped  legs. 

tion  of  the  holes  for  the  dowels.    Drive  the  brads  (2 


TABORET 


105 


Have  ready  two  carpenter's  bar  clamps,  {Handworlc  in  Wood, 
p.  103),  two  large  (Aldrich's  No.  5,  18")  handscrews  (Handworlc  in 
Wood,  p.  101),  and  eight  blocks  of  soft  wood,  three  or  four  inches 
long  and  just  large  enough  to  fit  between  each 
pair  of  nails. 

If  no  clamps  or  handscrews  are  available,  sub- 
stitutes may  be  made  thus:  Cut  two  boards  and 
tw^o  wedges,  as  in  Fig.  131.  These  improvised 
clamps  can  be  hooked  over  the  blocks  which  are 
placed  between  the  nails,  and  then  the  wedges 
driven  in  to  draw  the  joints  up  tight. 

Put  a  little  hot  glue  on  the  end  of  a  stretcher, 
B,  locate  it  by  means  of  the  marks  already  made 
in  it  by  the  nails  in  the  leg,  and  drive  in  the  nails, 
leaving  the  head  of  the  brad  projecting  half  an 
incli,  so  that  it  can  be  easily  withdrawn  later.  In 
the  same  way  nail  stretcher  C  in  place  to  the  same 
leg.  Then  nail  the  opposite  leg  to  the  other  ends 
of  these  two  stretchers.  Proceed  in  the  same  way 
with  the  other  two  legs,  working  as  speedily  as 
accuracy  will  permit  in  order  that  the  glue  may 
not  set  before  the  clamps  are  applied.  The  clamps 
are  applied  to  these  joints  as  shown  in  Fig.  135. 
angles  to  see  that  they  are  square. 


Fig.  130.     Method  of 
shaping  legs. 


Test  the  interior 
If  not,  adjust  the  clamps  on  a 
slight  diagonal,  so  as  to  pull 
the  piece  into  shape  as  in  the 
diagram  Fig.  136,  in  which  the 
distortion  is  exaggerated.  Set 
aside  six  hours  to  dry. 

While  the  glue  in  these 
joints  is  hardening,  the  top 
may  be  made,  according  to  di- 
rections given  below,  p.  109. 

When  the  glue  in  the  frame 
joints  is  hard,  take  off  the 
clamps,  pull  out  one  nail  at  a 
time  (see  Handwork  in  Wood,  Fig.  163,  p.  96)  and  bore  with  a  5/16" 
bit  a  hole  2"  deep.  Fig.  137.  To  gage  the  depth,  use  the  auger-bit- 
gagc,  (Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  116)  or  improvise  one  by  boring  a  hole 


X-- 

// 

A 

</;y^ 

// 

V 

■^ 

Fig.  131.     A  stop   A^  in  miter-box  for  use  in 
cutting  the  dowels  of  equal  length. 


106 


DESlGxNT  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


lengthwise  thru  a  piece  of  wood  of  such  a  length  that  when  this  piece 
is  slipped  up  to  the  jaws  of  the  brace,  two  inches  of  the  bit  will  pro- 
trude.   See  Fig.  138. 

As  each  hole  is  bored,  work 
some  glue  into  it  by  means  of  a 
small  dowel-pin  (say  Y^"  diame- 
ter) and  insert  one  of  the  5/1 6"x 
1^)4"  dowel  pins  already  pre- 
pared. In  order  to  keep  the  work 
clean  put  no  glue  on  the  pin  it- 
self. With  a  mallet,  drive  in 
the  pin  leaving  ^"  projecting. 
In  order  to  make  sure  that  all 
the  pins  project  an  equal  amount 
lay  a  strip  of  wood,  y^"  thick, 
next  the  pin  as  you  drive  it  in,  so  that  the  mallet  head  will  hit  the 
strip  on  the  final  blow. 

The  reason  why  the  dowel  pin  is  not  made  long  enough  to  drive 
it  clear  to  the  bottom  of  the  two  inch  hole  is  be- 
cause the  glue  at  the  bottom  of  the  hole  may  act 
like  a  cushion,  which,  if  the  pin  is  driven  home, 
may  force  open  the  joint  between  the  joint  and 
the  stretcher. 

In  case  it  is  not  convenient  to  round  off  the  ends  of  the  dowels 
before  dri\ing  them,  or  in  case  they  are  not  driven  in  so  that  the  pro- 
jections are  all  equal,  proceed  as  follows:     Saw  off  the  protruding 


Fig-  132.     Driving  dowel  thru 
dowel-plate. 


TT- 


/f4 


Fig.    133.     Dowel-pin 
for  taboret. 


^                                  /-    " 

V 

'4       l" 

^ 

<5P 

<                      /L 

— 

— 

"A;:   :; 

-< 

/8" 

^ 

^^3^ 

Fig  134.     Improvised  clamp. 


parts  of  the  dowels  to  within  ^"  of  the  surface,  thus:  Holding  the 
frame  in  the  vise,  as  in  Fig.  139,  lay  a  piece  of  wood  ^"  thick  next 
each  pair  of  dowels,  and  resting  the  face  of  the  back-saw  on  this,  saw 
off  the  dowels.   Then  round  up  the  ^"  projections  into  buttons  thus: 


TABORET 


107 


Fig.  135.     Taboret,  nailed,  glued,  and  clamped. 


Fig.  137.    Boring-  the  holes  for  the  dowels. 


108 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


Fig.  136. 


Method  of  squaring-  up 
angles. 


Fold  a  piece  of  sandpaper,  sand  side  in, 
hold  it  near  a  dowel  as  a  buffer,  and  with 
a  chisel,  bevel  side  down,  resting  on  this 
sandpaper,  slice  off  the  arris  of  the  pro- 
jecting dowel  as  in  Fig.  140.  When  the 
arrises  are  neatly  trimmed,  sandpaper  the 
end  of  the  dowel  into  a  button  shape,  hold- 
ing the  sandpaper  over  the  thumb.  Finish 
the  remaining  dowels  in  the  same  manner. 
Instead  of  shaping  the  protruding  dowel 
pins  into  buttons,  an  easier  w^ay  to  finish  is 
to  drive  the  pins  flush  with  the  face  of  the  legs,  smooth  off  the  sur- 
face, and  drive  upholstery  nails.  Fig.  141,  of  the  appropriate  color 
into  the  surface  of  each  dowel.  The  taboret 
shown  in  Fig.  142  is  finished  in  this  way. 

If  the  processes  so  far  have  been  neatly  done, 
there  should  be  very  little  superfluous  glue  to 
clean  up.  If  there  is  any,  clean  it  off  with  a 
chisel  and  scraper.  This  process  may  sometimes 
be  facilitated  by  dampening  the  glue  with  a  little 
hot  water  on  cotton  waste.  Use  as  much  heat 
and  as  little  water  as  possible. 

If  any  bruises  appear  on  the  surface  in  which 
the  fibers  of  the  wood  are  crushed  but  not  cut, 
wet  such  places,  cover  with  a  piece  of  paper,  and 
lay  on  them  a  flat-iron,  sizzling  hot.     This  will  swell  the  fibers  back 
into  shape.     Finally  sandpaper  all  over. 

Xext  cut  out  the  recess  for 
the  brass  plates  with  which 
the  top  is  to  be  fastened  to  the 
frame,  as  in  Fig.  125.  This 
dado  is  cut  at  both  the  ex- 
treme ends  of  each  upper 
stretcher,  and  is  Yi"  wide  and 
as  deep  as  the  thickness  of 
the  plate. 

To  fasten  the  plates  to  the   frame,  it  is  first  necessary  to  bore 
holes,  with  a  twist-drill,  in  the  middle  of  the  plates  and  countersink 


Fig.  138.     Im- 
provised bit-gage. 


Fig.  139.    Sawing  off  project! 
end  of  dowel-pin. 


TABOR ET 


109 


this  hole  on  the  side  opposite   to  the  other  countersinks.     It  may 
then  be  screwed  into  place,  using  ^"  No.  4  screws,  Fig.  125. 

The  top  is  made  as  fol- 
lows :  Assuming  that  it  is 
to  be  made  of  two  boards 
jointed  together,  cut  them 
slightly  longer  than  wanted 
(13  y/').  If  they  are  warped 
at  all,  joint  them  so  that  the  warp  will  be  reversed  in  the  two  pieces, 
as  in  Fig.  143.  Then  proceed  as  in  the  directions  for  a  rubbed  joint 
given  in  Ha7idworh  in  Wood,  p.  172.     When  dry,  plane  the  board  to 


Fig-.  140.     Method  of  trimming- 
arris  on  dowel-pin. 


the    proper 
square   and 


size,     13 
^"    thick, 
following      the      order 
given  in    Handwork  in 
Wood,  p.  72. 

To  lay  out  the  octa- 
gon, either  the  8- 
square  measure  on  the 
steel  square  may  be 
used  {Handwork  in 
Wood,  p.  1U8)  or  the 
following  method: 
Draw  the  diagonals  of 
the  square  (13")  as  in 
Fig.  144.  With  the 
compasses  take  the  dis- 
tance from  any  corner, 
(say  A)  to  the  center, 
E,  and  lay  this  off 
along  A  B  and  A  I), 
getting  the  points  F 
and  F' ,  G  and  G',  etc. 
Connect  F  and  G,  F' 
and  G'  etc.,  and  the 
octagon  is  drawn.  Saw 
off  the  corners  and  plane  true.  If  the  design  calls  for  it,  the  chamfer 
may  be  taken  off  at  this  time  from  each  upper  arris. 


Fig-.  142.     Dowel  ends  covered  with  upholstery  nails. 


110 


DESIGX   AND   CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Fig-.  144.     One  method  of   laying- 
out  an  octagon. 


To  fasten  the  top  to  the 
frame,  lay  the  top,  bottom  side 
Fig.  143.  Method  ot  jointing-  two  boards.  up,  OH  the  bench,  taking  care 
that  there  is  nothing  rough  on  the  bench  to  mar  the  top,  and  accu- 
rately locate  the  frame  on  it.  Be  sure  that  the  grain  of  the  wood  of 
the  top  runs  parallel  to  one  stretcher. 
Screw  it  firmly  in  place.  If  the  top  has 
become  slightly  warped,  do  not  try  to 
force  it  flat  by  means  of  the  screws,  but 
clamp  it  carefully  in  place  first  with  hand- 
screws  and  then  drive  the  screws  home. 

The  taboret  is  now  ready  for  staining 
and  finishing.  If  it  is  made  of  chestnut,  a 
very  handsome  seal  brown  can  be  obtained 
by  shutting  it  up  in  an  air  tight  box  with 
one-half  pint  of  strong  ammonia  (28%) 
in  an  open  disli.  Let  it  stand  for  24  hours  or  more,  and  then  oil  it 
with  a  mixture  of  one  part  boiled  linseed  oil  and  two  parts  of  turpen- 
tine. Wipe  off  care- 
fully. Inasmuch  as 
the  taboret  is  likely  to 
be  used  as  a  stand  for 
a  flower-pot,  it  should 
not  be  shellacked  or 
varnished,  for  shellac 
and  varnish  are  apt  to 
discolor  under  water, 
but  it  should  simply  be 
oiled  and  rubbed  again 
and  again,  but  prin- 
cipally rubbed.  This 
can  be  done  very  eas- 
ily with  a  buffing  wheel 
on  a  lathe. 

If  made  of  cypress, 
the  taboret  should  be 
stained  so  as  to  bring 
out     the     contrast    be- 

Fig.  145.    Legs  doweled  directly  into  lop.  twCCU  the  yclloW  Spring 


TABORET 


111 


Fig-.  146.     Locating  position  of 
end  of  stretcher  on  leg. 


wood  and  the  red  summer  wood  of  the  annual  rings.  See  Wood  and 
Forest,  pp.  11  ^.  For  this  purpose  oil  stains  are  the  most  satis- 
factory.    See  HandworTc  in  Wood,  p.  209.  

An  agreeable  modification  of  the  de- 
sign described  above  is  to  set  the  lower 
stretchers  edgewise,  not  flat,  omit  the  up- 
per ones,  and  fasten  the  upper  ends  of 
the  legs  directly  to  the  top,  into  which 
they  are  notched,  as  in  Fig.  145. 

In  this  case  the  lower  stretchers  are 
located  in  the  legs  by  perpendicular  cen- 
ter lines  on  the  legs,  as  in  Fig.  146.  For 
fastening  the  legs  to  the  top  after  it  is 
glued  up  and  dressed  to  size,  if  the  legs 
are  to  be  perpendicular,  not  slanting,  lay 
out  on  the  top  the  notches  for  the  legs  so 
that  the  distance  from  opposite  ones  shall 
be  exactly  equal  to  the  length  of  the  lower  stretchers.  Do  all  the  lay- 
ing out  from  the  working  edge  {Handwork  in  Wood,  page  72).  See 
also  Fig.  147.    Lay  out  on  both  sides  of  the  piece  in  order  to  insure 

accuracy  in  chiseling  later. 

If  the  top  is  to  be  circular, 
lay  out  the  notches  first.  Then 
lay  out  and  cut  the  circle  and 
finally  cut  the  notches.  This 
order  prevents  the  sides  of  the 
notches  from  splitting  off  in 
dressing  up  the  circumference. 

Lay  out  the  circle  10^"  in 
diameter.  Then  the  top  will 
project  slightly  beyond  the  out- 
side of  the  legs,  as  in  Fig.  147. 
The  circle  is  to  be  cut  out  with 
a  turning-saw.  (Handwork  in 
Wood,  p.  67,)  and  dressed  up 
with  the  spokeshave.  To  cut  out  the  notches,  use  the  back-saw,  cut- 
ting just  inside  the  lines,  and  chisel  out  the  waste.  In  chiseling  out 
the  parts  that  run  parallel  to  the  grain,   {A  and  B,  Fig.  147)   cut 


Fig-.  147.    Lay-out  of  taboret  with  legs 
doweled  into  circular  top. 


112 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN   WOOD 


Fig.  148.     Starting-  to 
cuL  out  the  notches. 


only  a  little  at  a  time  for  fear  the  wood  may  undersplit.  In  chisel- 
ing out  the  parts  across  the  grain,  {C  and  D)  lay  the  piece  down 
fiat  on  a  piece  of  w^aste  wood  on  the  bench  and  fasten  it  firmly  with 
a  handscrew  or  between  bench-stop  and  vise-dog. 
First  place  the  edge  of  the  chisel  (a  broad  one) 
exactly  on  the  line,  hold  it  perpendicular  and  tap 
it  lightly  with  the  mallet.  Then  holding  it 
obliquely,  cut  out  a  triangular  groove,  as  in  Fig. 
148.  With  this  groove  once  fixed,  you  can  proceed  more  rapidly  and 
with  heavy  strokes.  When  about  half-way  thru  the  piece,  reverse  it 
and  cut  from  the  other  side.  Take  care  to  keep  the  bench  top  free  of 
chips  or  the  wood  will  be  marred.  Trim  out  the  sides  of  the  notches 
so  that  the  legs  will  fit  exactly. 
If  arrises  are  to  be  chamfered 
or  rounded,  do  it  now. 

In  assembling,  proceed  as  be- 
fore, page  101:,  nailing  first,  and 
then  substituting  dowels  for  nails. 
A  more  elaborate  six  legged 
taboret  is  shown  in  Fig.  149. 
In  this  case  there  is  no  half-lap 
joint,  but  the  legs  are  doweled 
into  two  boards,  top  and  under, 
both  of  which  are  notched  to  re- 
ceive them.  The  process  of  as- 
sembling is  as  described  above, 
nailing  with  glue,  extracting  the 
nails,  and  substituting  glued 
dow^els.  The  one  shown  in  the 
figure  was  made  of  cypress, 
stained  brown,  and  oiled  and 
rubbed  repeatedly. 

If  the  legs  of  the  taboret  are 
to  be  not  perpendicular  but 
slanting,  as  in  Fig.  150,  the 
proper  "batter''  or   angle   at  the  Fig.  ho.   Taboret  «vith  six  legs, 

ends  of  the  stretchers  may  be  obtained  by  means  of  the  steel  square, 
a  straight  edge,  and  the  bevel.     See  Fig.  151.     Suppose  the  distance 


TABORET 


113 


from  the  top  of  the  upper  stretcher  to  the  bottom  of  the  lower 
stretcher  to  be  13"  and  the  bottom  of  the  lower  side  of  each  arm  of 
the  lower  stretcher  to  be  1"  longer  than  the  top  of  the  upper  surface 
of  the  arm  of  the  corresponding  upper  stretcher.  Lay  the  steel  square 
on  a  board  with  a  straight  edge,  placing  the  13"  mark  on  the  blade 
and  the  1"  mark  on  the  tongue  exactly  on  the  straight  edge.  With  a 
pencil  scribe  on  the  board  the  angle  which  the  tongue  makes  with 


Fig-.  150.    Taboret  with  slanting-  legs. 


the  straight  edge.  This  is  the  angle  needed  for  the  ends  of  the  stretch- 
ers, and  also  the  angle  for  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  the  legs.  (See 
Handworh  in  Wood,  3rd  edition,  p.  201,  note.)  Transfer  this  angle  by 
means  of  the  sliding  T-bevel.     See  Handtuork  in  Wood,  p.  113. 

Fig.  152  shows  a  foot  stool  made  of  mahogany  with  a  woven  reed 
seat,  stained  to  match  the  mahogany.  The  top  is  a  frame  made  with 
end-lap  joints,  each  member  3^"  wide  so  as  to  give  plenty  of  sur- 
face for  gluing. 


114 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  WOOD 


Fig.  151.     Obtaniing-  the  batter 
lor  slanting-  legs. 


:^  '  ^  ^  "-y^i 


Fig  152      Mahogany  stool  with  woven  reed  seat. 


Chapter  IX 

MALLET 

The  excellence  of  design  in  a  mallet  depends  primarily  upon  its 
utility.  The  "fixing  of  essentials"  is  paramount  in  importance. 
Whatever  grace  of  form  or  refinement  of  proportions  it  may  have  are 
the  result  of  adaptation  to  use.    In  an  object  of  such  hard  usage,  dec- 


Fig-.  153.    Mallet 


oration  too  must  play  a  minor  part.  As  to  essentials,  a  mallet  must 
be  of  proper  weight,  must  "hang"  well  in  the  hand;  the  head  must 
be  of  the  hardest  wood  available,  that  will  not  easily  split,  as  maple; 
the  handle  must  be  of  a  tough  elastic  wood,  as  hickory,  and  its  form 


115 


116 


DESIGN"  AXD  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Fig.  154.     Working  drawing  of  mallet. 


MALLET 


117 


should  be  oval,  so  that  the  worker  can  feel,  without  seeing,  that  the 
face  of  the  head  wall  strike  square.  The  handle  should  be  joined 
firmly  to  the  head,  as  with 
the  round  mortise-and-tenon, 
wedged,  and  there  should  be  a 
convenient  method  for  hanging 
it.  A  coating  of  shellac  helps 
to  keep  the  wood  clean,  and 
improves  the  looks.  Some  pre- 
fer to  have  tool  handles  left 
unvarnished,  because  of  the  no-  ^'^'i^^-   Mapie  block  for  maiiet-head. 

tion  that  raw  wood  does  not  blister  the  hand.    The  design  here  given. 
Figs.  153,  154,  stands  all  these  tests. 

The  materials  required  are : 

I  piece  maple,  2i^"x2i/^"x5". 
I  piece  hickory,  %"xi^"xii". 

The  head,  maple.     Plane  up  true  the  working  face,  working  edge, 
the  width  and  the  thickness.     With  the  try-square,  carry  a  fine  pencil 


Fig-.  156.    Boring-  hole  in  head  of  mallet. 

line  across  the  center  on  all  sides  as  in  Fig.  155,  A  B  C.    Notice  care- 
fully how^  the  annual  rings  run  in  the  piece.     Like  most  al]  woods, 


118 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Fig.  157.    How  the  handle  hole  tapersout. 


maple  is  less  likely  to  split  with  the  annual  rings  than  across  them. 
(See  Wood  and  Forest,  p.  53.)  Therefore  plan  to  make  the  hole  for 
the  handle  as  nearly  as  possible  along  the  annual  rings,  as  in  Fig.  155. 

To  determine  the  location 
of  the  handle  hole,  mark  with 
the  marking-gage  the  center 
point  on  the  cross  lines  already 
drawn,  on  two  opposite  sides. 
Fasten  the  block,  thus  marked, 
firmly  in  the  bench  vise,  as  in 
Fig.  156.  Put  a  ^"  auger-bit 
in  the  ratchet-brace,  hold  the 
knob  of  the  brace  in  the  hol- 
low of  the  left  hand  and  hold 
the  body  firmly  against  it  so 
that  it  will  change  position  as 
little  as  possible;  with  the  try- 
square,  see  that  the  bit  enters 
the  wood  at  right  angles,  both  horizontally  and  perpendicularly,  and 
when  the  hole  is  once  started,  use  only  a  down  stroke  with  the  ratchet 
brace.  The  brace  is  thus  held  steadier  and  works  easier  than  when 
it  is  swept  round  and  round.  If  two  persons  can  work  together  at 
this  process,  one  can  test  the  bit  with  the  try-square,  while  the  other 
bores.     Bore  half-way  thru  and  repeat  from  the  opposite  side. 

With  reasonable  care,  the  holes  should  meet  exactly.     If  they  do 
not,     chisel   off   the    projecting 
shoulders    inside    the    hole  with 
an  inside  bevel  gouge  {Va")- 

In  order  that  the  handle 
may  be  firmly  held  in  the  head 
by  means  of  a  wedge,  as  de- 
scribed below,  it  is  necessary  to 
enlarge   with    the   inside    bevel 

gouge     (M")     two     sides     of    the  Fig-.  ISS.    Lay-out  of  sides  of  mallel-head. 

hole  in  the  head  at  what  is  to  be  the  outer  (curved)  edge.  Make 
these  cuts  so  as  to  have  the  hole  oblong  in  the  direction  of  the  length 
of  the  head,  that  is,  y%"  wide  on  the  long  axis  and  taper  it  inwards 
for  Va".     See  Fi^.  157. 


MALLET 


119 


Next  lay  out,  according  to  the  dimensions  given  in  Fig.  154,  the 
shape  of  the  head  on  the  broad  side.  The  curve  for  the  outer  edge 
can  be  obtained  by  making  a  templet  of  cardboard  or  thin  wood,  thus : 
The  curve  is  the 
4^"  arc  of  a 
circle  whose  rad- 
ius is  22".  Set 
this  templet  ex- 
actly in  place, 
as  at  A  B  C, 
Fig.  158,  and 
scribe  the  curve. 
Or  let  one  per- 
son bend  and 
hold  a  thin 
spline  of  w^ood 
at  the  proper 
place,  and  an- 
other scribe  with 
a  pencil  along  it. 
To     lay    out 

the  bevel  of  the  ends  (faces)  of  the  head,  set  the  T-bevel  at  the  angle 
of  the  inner  edge  with  the  faces,  and  by  means  of  this  and  of  the  try- 
square,  score  lines  all  around  with  a  sharp  knife.  Make  a  groove  for 
sawing  on  the  outside  of  the  bevel  lines  B  D  and  C  E,  Fig.  158.  (See 
Handwork  in  ^Yood,  p.  QQ,  Fig.  91),  and  saw  off  the  waste. 

To  guide  the  saw,  another 
block  of  wood  with  true  square 
edges  may  be  set  along  the  scored 
line  and  clamped  down  with  a 
handscrew  on  the  bench.  Fig. 
159.  Take  the  precaution,  how- 
ever, to  protect  the  bench  by  a 
Fi^i6o.  Block  chamfered  to  avoid  splint-      Piece  of  a    waste    board    uudcr- 

ering  when  end  planing.  j^^.^^j^   ||^g   l^l^^j,  ^^   1^^   g^^^^^     g^^^ 

wdth  a  crosscut-saw,  just  outside  the  scored  lines.  Eepeat  at  the 
other  end. 


Sawing  the  bevel  on  the  mallet-head  bj'  means  of 
a  block  clamped  on  as  a  guide. 


120 


DESIGN"  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


Fig. 161. 


Lay-out  for  beveled  sides. 
from  below.) 


(Seen 


To  plane  these  ends,  fasten 
the  piece  upright  in  the  vise. 
Avoid  splintering  by  cutting 
chamfers  at  the  outer  arris,  as 
in  Fig.  160,  and  plane  the  ends 
flat  and  smooth.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  jack-plane  is  best,  well 
sharpened  and  set  fine.  The 
block-plane  is  too  light. 

Next  plane  the  waste  off  the 

curved  outer  edge.      To  rough  off,  plane  across  the  grain.      Finish 

with  the  grain  for  smoothness,  using  a  circular  plane  if  handy. 
'Next  lay  out  on  these  planed  ends  and  on 

the  inner  lower  edge  the  bevels  of  the  sides,  as 

A  B  C,  m  Fig.  161,  and  plane  off  the  waste. 
With  a  pencil  lay  out  the  chamfers,  which 

are  ^"  on  the  arrises  of  the  curved  surface  and 

1/16"  on  the  rest,  and  plane  them  off. 

The    Handle.      True    up    the    piece    to    a 

^"xl5^"xll",  full.    Draw,  with  a  pencil,  a  fine 

center  line  on  both  broad  sides  and  on  the  ends. 

On   both  broad   sides   lay   out  the   plan   of  the 

handle,  working  from  the  center  line.     Bore  a 

y^"  hole,  1"  from  the  hand  end  thru  the  short 

axis,  for  convenience  in  hanging  up  the  mallet. 
Eip-saw    off  the  waste,    working  from    both 

ends.     In  order  to  start  the  saw  on  the  tapering 

cut,  clamp  a  piece  of  waste  wood  to  the  handle, 

avS  A,  in  Fig.  162,  and  start  the  saw  at  B.     Save 

one  of  the  pieces  thus  sawn  off  to  be  used  later 

to  wedge  the  handle  into  the  head.     Spokeshave 

to  the  lines  drawn,  keeping  the  piece  rectangular. 

Draw  center  lines  on  both  edges  and  on  the  ends. 
Lay  out  with   a  sharp   pencil   the   chamfers 

which  are  to  make  the  piece  eight-sided,  and  on 

the  large  end  draw  as  exact  an  ellipse  as  pos-       Fig-.  i62.    Method  of 

•  IT  c\       ^       ^  j_i  1  J?  n       ji  starting  saw  on  a  taper- 

sible.      Spokeshave    these     chamfers     and    then     ingcut. 


MALLET 


121 


m 

^, 

V 

iy 

<^-> 

round  the  small  end  till  it  fits  closely  the  hole  in  the  mallet  head.    Be 

careful  in  using  the  spokeshave  to  keep  the  piece  of  even  diameter 

thruout.     In  cutting  the  very  end    the 

spokeshave  is  likely  to  taper  it.  To  avoid 

this,  hold  the  spokeshave,  not  at  right 

angles    to    the    axis    of    the   piece,    but 

diagonally. 

Spokeshave    the    large    end    to    an 

elliptical    section.     The    shape    should  i^ig.i63.   wedge  for  handle. 

change  smoothly  into  the  rounded  small  end.     Scrape  smooth  and 

sandpaper. 

In  the  small  end  cut  with  the  back-saw,  a  kerf  1"  deep,  Fig.  154. 

Be    careful  to  cut    this  parallel    with  the  short  axis    of  the    ellipse 

at  the  other  end.  This  is  to  re- 
ceive a  wedge,  which  may  be 
made  from  one  of  the  pieces 
sawn  off  in  making  the  handle. 
The  wedge  should  be  %"  wide, 
y^'  at  one  end  and  tapering  to 
an  edge,  and  1"  long.  Fig.  163. 

Fig.  164.     Method  of  cutting  a  wedge.  pj-^^e    OUC    end    of    this    picCC    OU 

the  bench-hook  against  the  cross-cleat,  and  chisel  this  end  to  an  edge. 
See  Fig.  164.  Drive  the  handle  in  the  head,  letting  the  small  end 
project  y^' .  Dip  the  wedge  in  glue  and  drive  it  in  place.  Saw  off 
the  projecting  part  of  the  wedge,  clean  up,  and  sandpaper. 

Give  the  head  a  couple  of  coats  of  shellac  and  rub  down  with 
steel  wool. 


^sS^^ 

1  -^>^  —1 

Bench  -  hooK         ,.==-■-—::— 

-=- 

^-^--                  ^^^=-        1 

122 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


^Sfc^'. 


Q 


li= 


Fig.  165.    Trays. 


ClIArTER    X 

TEAYS 

One  of  the  most  valuable  projects  for  a  beginner  in  woodwork  to 
make,  looked  at  either  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  discipline  of 
technique  or  from  that  of  design,  is  a  tray  for  pens  or  cards,  trinkets 
or  pins,  clips  or  collar  buttons,  or  whatsoever.  For  varieties  of  trays 
see  Fig.  165. 

The  first  matter  to  decide  is,  of  course,  the  use  of  the  tray.  If 
it  is  to  be  for  penholders  and  pencils,  the  trough  must  be  long  and 


Ir^^SJ^ 


ii 


Fig-.  166. 


Trays. 

2 


wide  enough  to  receive  them,  and  the  tray  must  be  stable,  so  as  not 
to  be  easily  upset.  If  for  cards,  or  crackers,  it  must  be  so  designed 
as  to  be  easily  picked  up.  A  suitable  wood  for  this  project  is  sweet 
gum,  because  it  is  of  close  even  texture,  moderately  soft,  cuts  clean, 
polishes  well,  and  has  a  handsome  color  and  figure.  The  fixing  of  the 
essentials  is  an  easy  matter. 

123 


124 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN  AVOOD 


The  beauty  of  the  tray  will  depend  upon  the  refinement  of  its 
proportions  and  such  embellishments  as  there  are  in  the  way  of  carv- 
ing. These  are  very  closely  related  in  this  project.  That  a  pen-tray 
should  not  be  bulky  or  clumsy  goes  without  saying.  But  its  lightness 
and  grace  may  depend  as  much  upon  the  carved  embellishments,  Fig. 
166,  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  as  upon  the  modeling  of  the  edge,  Fig.  167. 

A  few  suggestions  may  be  offered  as  to  the  use  of  line  decoration. 
It  is  the  simplest  form  of  carving  and  yet  lends  itself  to  endless 
variety.  See  Figs.  168,  169.  One  danger  in  line  design  is  that  the 
lines  be  too  "wiry"  or  'Svormy".     This  can  be  corrected  by  breaking 


Fig-   IbT.     Tray  with  surface  and  edge  modeled. 

the  lines  and  modifying  the  ends.  It  should  also  be  remembered  that 
the  blank  spaces,  that  is,  those  uncarved,  should  make  a  pleasing  pat- 
tern, as  well  as  the  carved  lines  themselves.  The  rosette  design, 
shown  in  Fig.  170,  is  a  pure  line  design,  so  arranged  that  the  blank 
spaces  make  a  rosette.  An  interesting  discussion  of  the  breaking  up 
of  spaces  will  be  found  in  Ernest  A.  Batchelder's  Design  in  Theory 
and  Practice. 

In  making  the  tray  itself  the  processes  are  few  and  simple,  but 
like  all  good  carving,  require  careful  control  of  the  hand,  and  call  for 
considerable  variety  of  manipulation. 

Taking  for  illustration  a  typical  tray,  the  pen-tray  with  rosettes, 
shown  in  Fig.  170,  first,  with  the  plane,  true  up  the  working  face, 
working  edge,  length,  width,  and  thickness.  If  the  design  is  not 
rectangular,  but  has  curved  outlines,  it  is  necessary  to  true  up  only 
working  face,  working  edge,  and  thickness. 


TRAYS 


125 


To  lay  out  the  design,  draw  on  the  working  face,  center  lines,  one 
lengthwise,  one  crosswise,  at  exact  right  angles  to  each  other.  Draw 
similar  lines  on  the  design. 

Lay  the  design  already  drawn  in  paper  on  a  piece  of  glass,  and 
with  a  sharp  knife  point,  make  a  clean  cut  stencil  of  one  quarter  of 


Fig.  168.     Varieties  of  line  carving. 

it.  Where  necessary  to  prevent  the  stencil  from  becoming  too  weak 
or  falling  apart  leave  little  bridges  to  hold  the  parts  together,  as  A  A, 
in  Fig.  171. 

From  this  stencil,  lay  out  the  design  on  each  quarter  of  the  work- 
ing face  of  the  board.  If  it  is  necessary  to  pin  it  in  place,  do  so  in 
places  where  the  pin  pricks  will  afterward  be  cut  away.  This  is  more 
important  in  a  fine  textured  wood  like  gum  than  in  a  coarse  textured 
wood  like  oak. 

As  to  when  the  outline  is  to  be  cut,  that  depends  upon  its  shape. 
If  it  is  nearly  rectangular,  it  may  be  shaped  before  the  trough  is  dug, 
but  ordinarily,  and  especially  if  it  is  curved,  it  is  better  not  to  touch 
it,  until  trough  and  decoration  are  finished.  In  this  rectangular 
shape,  the  edges  will  not  be  bruised  while  handling  and  it  will  be 


126 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN   WOOD 


easier  to  hold  the  piece  between  the  bench-stop  and  vise-dog.     For 
directions  for  shaping  the  outline,  see  below. 

Next  gouge  out  the  trough  of  the  tray  with  a  large  (1")  outside 
bevel  gouge.     Work  both  with  the  gi'ain  and  across  it,  noting  care- 


Fig.  169.    Trays  with  line  grooving-. 


fully  any  dips  in  the  grain,  and  taking  particular  pains  at  those 
places.  Do  not  attempt  to  work  within  ys"  of  the  margin  of  the 
trough,  until  the  main  part  is  well  gouged  out.     That  is,  leave  the 


TKAYS 


127 


finest  work  till  later,  because  with  every  added  stroke  greater  control 
of  the  hand  is  gained.  For  use  of  gouge  on  ordinary  cuts,  see  Hand- 
work in  Wood,  p.  60. 

For  delicate  cuts  learn  to  use  the  twisting  motion  i.  e.,  while  push- 
ing the  handle  with  the  right  hand,  gently  twist  the  gouge  on  its 


Fig.  170.     Tray  and  blolter-holder  with  pattern 
of  rosettes. 

axis.  This  motion  is  particularly  useful  when  approaching  an  out- 
line, as  of  the  trough.  Twist  away  from  the  outline,  then  if  tne 
tool  slips  no  harm  is  done. 

Particular  pains  must  be  taken  with  the  corners  of  the  trough  if 
there  are  any.  In  general  they  look  better  rounded.  The  arc  of  the 
round  should  not  be  greater  than  the  arc  of  the  gouge  which  you  have 
to  use.     The  sharper  the  corner,  the  harder  it  is  to  cut  it  out  well. 

For  very  accurate  work,  and  where  the  cross-section  of  the  tray 
is  uniform  for  some  distance,  as  in  Fig.   172,  it  is  well  to  make  a 

templet    of     thin     wood     with 


^//M/M/////M/y////////////^//////^y/////y^//y'////^^ 


which   the   work    can   be  gaged 
as  one  proceeds. 

But  in  many  trays  (as  in 
Fig.  170)  all  that  is  necessary 
is  to  have  a  depth-gage.  For 
this  purpose  a  nail  driven  into  a  strip  of  wood  having  a  straight  edge 
will  suffice.  Fig.  173.  With  this  it  is  easy  to  detect  variations  which 
make  the  work  look  slovenly.     The  curve  of  the  edges  of  the  trough 


Fig.  171.     Stencil,  showing  bridges  at  yl,  A. 


128 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


ma}^  be  often  be  determined  by  the  curve  of  the  gouge  in  use.  Be 
sure  to  keep  the  gouge  sharp  at  all  times.  For  the  method  of  whet- 
ting the  gouge,  see  Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  60. 

In  some  designs  (see  Fig.  174)  the  piece  is  finished  with  the  tool 
marks  frankly  shown.     This  is,  on  the  whole,  better  suited  to  large 


Fig-.  172.    Tray  aad  blotter:  simple  outline  decoration. 

pieces  made  of  coarse  textured  wood.  For  the  sort  of  designs  shown 
herewith,  a  smooth  perfect  finish  is  recommended. 

After  chiseling  with  the  gouge  as  accurately  as  possible,  scrape 
the  surface  of  the  trough  with  a  cabinet  scraper.  No.  2  and  No.  7  are 
the  most  useful.  First  see  that  the  scraper  is  well  sharpened.  The 
method  of  sharpening  is  described  on  page  92,  of  IlandivorJc  in  Wood. 

By  tilting  and  turning  the 


Fig   173      Depth-gage:  nail  in  a  strip 
of  wood. 


scraper  in  various  directions, 
the  curve  can  be  made  to  fit  the 
triangle. 

It  is  often  possible  to  de- 
test unevennesses  on  the  sur- 
face which  are  not  visible  to  the  e^'e,  by  means  of  the  touch.  If  nec- 
essary, shut  your  eyes  while  you  feel.  Make  the  surface  as  perfect  as 
possible  with  the  scraper.    Preserve  the  edges  of  the  trough  sharp. 

Next  sandpaper  the  trough  of  the  tray,  using  the  tip  of  the  thumb 
as  a  cushion  for  the  sandpaper.     It  frequently  happens  that  in  sand- 


TRAYS 


129 


papering,  irregularities  in  the  surface  undetected  before  will  appear. 
If  .so,  go  back  to  the  scraper,  or  even  the  gouge.  Bat  remember  that 
the  fine  particles  of  sand  rubbed  into  wood,  will  quickly  dull  edge  tools. 
Next  cut  out  whatever  decoration  there  is  in  the  design.  If  this 
is  a  mere  line  design,  as  in  Fig.  165,  Nos.  2,  6  and  11,  one  tool  is 


Fi J-.  174.     Tray  and  blotter  with  tool  marks  of  g-oug-e  left  sliowiiij 


sufficient  to  cut  it  all  out.  This  tool  must  be  sharp,  so  sharp  that  it 
will  cut  soft  wood  across  the  grain  clean  without  any  tearing.  Ordi- 
narily no  scraping  or  sandpapering  will  follow  line  decoration. 

Be  careful  at  the  ends  of  the  lines.     Do  not  let  them  fade  away, 
as  A,  in  Fig.  175,  but  finish  clean  and  round,  as  at  B. 

For  quite  fine  lines,  as  in  Fig.  172,  a  veining  tool,  so  callel,  is 
used.  This  is  simply  a  very  small  gouge,  and  has  to  be  whetted  with 
a  slipstone  having  a  knife  edge.  Such  a  design 
as  the  rosette  is  made  with  a  veining  tool.  The 
especial  danger  in  using  the  veining  tool,  is  that 
it  will  slip  beyond  control  and  mar  the  wood. 
Curved  lines  must  be  followed  by  hand,  but 
straight  lines  may  be  kept  straight  by  running 
along  the  edge  of  a  rule  or  other  straight  edge  held  firmly  in  place. 
Fig.  176. 

Once  the  gouging  is  finished,  the  outline  of  the  tray  may  be 
shaped.     If  the  curves  of  the  outline  are  large,  use  the  turning-saw 


Fig-.  175.  How  to 
finish  ends  of  line 
carving-:  a,  wrong;  b, 
right. 


130 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


(Handivorh  in  Wood,  p.  67)  and  the  spokeshave  {Handwork  in 
Wood,  p.  118)  ;  if  small,  use  the  chisel  {Handwork  in  Wood,  pp.  56, 
57).  Concave  cnrves  should  be  trimmed  out  with  the  inside  bevel 
gouge  and  if  quite  small  should  be  bored  out  with  a  bit  of  the  proper 
diameter,  before  the  lines  adjoining  them  are  cut  with  the  saw  or 


Fig.  176.     Guiding  a  veining  tool  along  a 
straight  edge. 

chisel.  For  example,  in  Fig.  177,  bore  out  A  and  B,  locating  their 
centers  accurately,  from  the  working  face,  X,  before  cutting  out  the 
longer  curves. 

If  necessary,  use  a  file  or  even  a  ra^^p  to  bring  the  line  to  shape. 
But  if  this  is  done,  be  careful  to  remove  every  trace  of  the  tool  marks 
afterward  with  the  chisel  and  sandpaper. 

In  many  of  the  designs  shown,  the  edges  of  the  oulJine  are  mod- 
eled, so  as  to  give  an  appearance  of  lightness  to  the  tray  and  to  make 

it  easier  to  pick  up.  In  de- 
signing this  feature,  remem- 
ber to  keep  the  tray  stable, 
that  is,  not  to  undercut  the 
edges  so  far  that  the  tray  will 
tip  over  at  a  slight  touch. 
Make  the  base  therefore  at 
least  as  large  as  the  trough.  This  may  be  done  effectively  by  carving 
out  a  cove  with  the  gouge  as  in  Fig.  178.  This  in  most  cases  would 
be  wider  at  the  ends  of  the  tray  than  at  the  sides  to  correspond  with 


tJ- 


Fig.  177.     Laying  out  curves. 


TRAYS 


131 


the  design  on  the  upper  side.     In  this  case  let  the  side  cove  run 

smoothly  into  the  end  cove. 

Or,  the  cove  may  be  turned  into  an  ogee  by  rounding  with  the 

chisel  the  lower  angle,  as  in  Fig.  178,  h.     Then  the  whole  surface 

should  be  scraped  even,  and 
smooth,  and  sandpapered.  Be 
very  careful  while  working 
on  the  underside  not  to  mar 
the   upper   surface. 

Next  rub  the  whole  sur- 
face carefully  with  steel  wool 
(No.   00)    to  get  it  as  smooth. 


Fig.  178.     Forms  of  cross-sections  of  trays.  gg    T)ossible 

To  bring  out  the  grain  of  sweet  gum,  nothing  is  so  good  as  a  coat 
of  boiled  linseed  oil  (oil,  1  part,  turpentine,  2  parts).  Apply  with 
a  brush,  rub  well  with  cotton  waste,  and  set  aside  to  dry. 

Then  apply  successive  coats  of  white  shellac,  letting  it  dry  for 
6  hours  or  more,  and  rubbing  it  down  with  steel  wool  between  each 
coat.  Be  very  careful  to  avoid  gobs,  and  to  have  each  coat  thin  and 
even.    Shellac  is  not  to  be  smeared  on. 

Finally  the  whole  may  be  polished  on  the  buffer,  or  better  still, 
by  the  process  of  French  polishing,  directions  for  which  are  given  in 
Handworh  in  Wood,  p.  217. 


132 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


Fig".  179.     Rolling  blotter-holders. 


Chapter  XI 
EOLLING  BLOTTER-HOLDER 

The  essential  features  of  a  convenient  rolling  blotter-hoJder  are 
that  it  be  the  proper  size  and  shape,  say  an  oblong  not  larger  than 
3^"x6>4";  that  it  be  easily  grasped;  that  the  blotter  be  so  fastened 
as  to  be  easily  changed;  and  that  the  blotter  be  properly  cushioned. 

In  the  device  shown  in  Fig.  179  these  requirements  are  met.  The 
construction  is  as  follows :  A  dowel  on  which  a  thread  has  been  cut, 
is  screwed  and  glued  into  the  knob,  while  the  part  projecting  from 
the  knob  passes  freely  thru  a  hole  in  the  cover,  Y\"  thick,  and  screws 
into  the  rounded  part,  Fig.  180. 

The  wood  suggested  is  sweet  gum,  like  the  pen-tray  described  in 
the  preceding  chapter. 

The  proportions  are  largely  determined  by  its  use,  the  knob  alone 
admitting  of  great  variety  in  outline.  The  knob  as  well  as  the  back 
may  well  be  decorated  with  a  pattern  in  harmony  with  that  of  the 
tra}^     See  Fig.  181. 

The  making  of  the  blotter  shown  in  Fig.  182  will  be  described. 

The  materials  needed  are  of  sweet  gum  as  follows : 

A.  I  piece,  M"x3"x5"  (full). 

B.  I  piece,  K"x3"x5"   (full). 

C.  I  piece,  i"xi"x2"  and 
I  dowel-rod,  y%' . 

The  new  tool  needed  is  a  screw-box  and  a  wood  tap,  size  V^" . 

True  up  to  size  and  dress  carefully  the  two  larger  pieces  A  and  B. 
Locate  the  center  of  each  of  these  pieces.  Bore  a  ^g"  hole  thru  B, 
and  a  5/16"  hole  thru  A,  and  a  5/16"  hole  into  and  nearly  thru  0 
at  the  center  of  one  side.  Take  great  pains  to  bore  perpendicularly 
to  tlie  surface.    With  the  tap,  cut  the  threads  in  the  holes,  in  A  and  0. 

Select  a  straight  grained  piece  of  dowel-rod  ^"  diameter,  and 
on  one  end  by  means  of  the  screw-box  cut  a  thread  for  two  inches  or 
more.    If  the  box  tears  off  the  thread  instead  of  cutting  it  clean,  take 

133 


134 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION   IN   WOOD 


it  apart,  see  that  the  cutter  is  sharp,  reassemble,  and  try  again.  A 
little  adjustment  of  the  cutter  back  and  forth  may  be  necessary  to 
get  the  best  cut.  Cut  oft*  two  inches  of  the  screw  thus  formed,  work 
a  little  glue  into  hole — the  1"  square  piece,  and  screw  in  the  dowel. 


Fig.  1«0.     RolUng-  blotter  holder. 

N'ow  shape  up  the  knob  to  the  form  desired.  A  piece  2"  long  was 
selected  at  the  start  in  order  to  avoid  the  danger  of  splitting  it  while 
boring  into  it  the  5/16"  hole.  Cut  oif  the  surplus  ^"  from  each  end, 
lay  out  the  form  on  the  two  opposite  sides,  and  with  the  chisel,  gouge 
it  and  (or)  file  it  and  bring  it  into  shape.  If  it  is  angular,  it  must 
be  shaped  by  hand;  if  it  is  round,  it  may  be  turned  on  a  lathe,  if 
one  is  available.  Shaping  the  knob  by  hand,  is  very  difficult.  Some 
may  find  it  easy  to  whittle  it  into  shape  with  a  penknife. 


ROLLING   BLOTTER-HOLDEPt 


135 


If  one  is  a  novice  at  the  latlie,  do  not  try  the  wood  turner's  tan- 
gential cuts,  but  be  content  to  scrape  this  piece  into  shape.  Wrap  a 
thickness  or  two  of  stiff  paper  around  the  projecting  part  of  the  screw 
and  fasten  it  firmly  but  not  violently  into  a  three  jawed  chuck,  and 


Fig-.  181.     K 


then  with  sharp  chisel  and  gouge,  scrape  it  into  shape,  that  is,  hold 
the  tool  on  the  rest  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the  spindle.  Use 
high  speed  on  the  lathe.     See  Fig.  183. 

TsText  shape  the  roller  part  of  the  blotter.  Lay  out  the  curve  on 
the  two  long  edges  of  A  with  a  templet  of  thick  paper,  cut  to  the 
proper  shape.  Saw  off  surplus  with  rip-saw.  With  chisel  or  draw- 
knife  shape  roughly  and  then  plane  to  the  line  mostly  across  the 
grain,  as  in  shaping  the  mallet  head.     (See  p.  120). 


136 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


Take  care  not  to  bring  the  curve  to  a  knife  edge  with  the  upper 
face,  but  finish  it  as  in  Fig.  180,  A,  A. 

Now  carve  the  pattern  designed  to  fit  it.  If  the  cut  (groove) 
on  the  knob  runs  clear  around  it,  as  in  Fig.  184,  it  can  best  be  added 


Fig.  18^.     KoUing  blotter-holder. 

while  the  knob  is  in  the  lathe.  For  this  purpose  use  a  1/16"  chisel 
ground  to  a  round  nose. 

Add  the  decoration,  if  an}^,  to  the  cover,  B. 

Finish  in  the  same  manner  as  the  tray  (p.  131). 

A  pad  of  felt,  fastened  to  the  rounded  surface  by  means  of  thick 
shellac,  gives  a  softer  blotting  surface.     The  pieces  of  blotting  paper 


Fig-.  183.     Scraping  the  knob  on  the  lathe. 


Fig.  184.     Turned 
knob 


should  be  as  wide  as  the  blotter  holder  and  long  enough  to  fold  well 
into  the  space  between  the  roller  and  the  cover.  They  are  held  in 
place  by  tightening  the  screw. 


Chapter  XII 
SMALL  BOXES 

Tlie  size  of  such  a  box  as  is  contemplated  in  this  project  is  de- 
termined by  its  use.  If  it  is  for  gloves  it  should  be  approximately 
4"x5"xl2".  If  for  men's  handkerchiefs,  about  6"  square  and  4"  or 
5"  deep.  If  for  stationery,  then  to  fit  the  stationery.  In  any  case, 
the  only  safe  way  is  to  measure  the  proposed  contents  and  make  the 
box  to  fit. 

The  wood  suggested  is  mahogany  or  black  walnut  or  oak,  all 
strong,  handsome  woods.  For  the  joints  possible,  see  Handwork  in 
Wood,  pp.  187-190. 

In  refining  the  proportions,  sometimes  even  a  slight  modification 
from  the  dimensions  which  mere  utility  requires  will  give  a  more 
pleasing  effect.  Looking  at  each  outer  surface  separately  it  may  be 
said  that  oblongs  are  more  pleasing  than  squares,  or  looking  at  the 
box  as  a  whole,  that  cubes  or  multiples  of  cubes  are  to  be  avoiderl. 

For  embellishment  the  modifications  suggested  are: 

(1)  Extended  tops  and  bottoms,  as  in  Fig.  185,  Xo.  3,  with  the 
edges  modified  by  moldings. 

(2)  A  simple  outline  of  inlay. 

The  main  esthetic  reliance,  however,  should  be  on  good  propor- 
tion, accuracy  of  workmanship,  and  beauty  of  finish. 

The  directions  following  are  for  the  construction  of  a  trinlcet  box, 
3"  deep  x4"  wide  x7"  long,  outside  measurements,  of  stock  5/16" 
thick  when  hand  dressed.    Fig.  185,  Xo.  4. 

The  material  may  be  black  walnut  or  mahogany,  and  the  follow- 
ing pieces  are  required : 

2  pieces  ^"x3"x7^", 

2  pieces  ^/i"x3"x4", 

2  pieces  ^"x4^"x7i^". 

(Or  roughly  speaking,  a  board  ^"  thick,  8"  wide,  and  20"  long  ) 

2  brass  butt  hinges,    i",   narrow. 

8  brass  screws  }i"  No.  2. 

137 


138 


DE81GX   AXD  CONSTRUCTION"   IN   WOOD 


The  grain  of  the  wood  in  the  four  sides  of  a  box  should  always 
run  parallel,  that  is  it  should  run  either  around  the  box  or  up  and 
down.  The  reason  is  that  with  equal  conditions  of  grain,  any  shrinkage 
that  takes  place  will  be  even.  In  general  the  grain  runs  the  long  way 
of  each  piece.    In  this  case  of  a  long  box,  the  grain  should  run  around. 


Fig-.  185.     SmaU  boxes. 

When  not  working  on  the  pieces  keep  them  clamped  together  in 
handscrews,  (as  in  Fig.  5,  p.  19)  or  at  least  keep  them  wrapped  up 
in  a  paper  to  prevent  them  from  uneven  exposure  and  consequent 
warping. 

In  dressing  up  the  pieces,  proceed  as  follows :  Cut  from  the  wood, 
two  pieces  about  3^"  wide  and  12"  long.  Each  will  serve  for  one 
side  and  end,  and  each  is  to  be  kept  in  one  piece  thru  as  many  proc- 
esses as  possible.  Plane  up  the  working  face,  the  working  edge,  one 
end,  the  width,  2%",  and  the  thickness,  5/16".  The  width  should  be 
3"  if  the  top  is  to  be  put  on  with  a  double  rabbet  joint.  Fig.  186  B. 

To  fix  the  length  of  the  end  pieces,  from  the  dressed  end  of  each 
12"  piece  measure  off  3^4",  score  all  around  with  a  sharp  knife  and 
a  try-square,  cut  a  groove  for  the  saw,  {Handwork  in  Wood,  Fig.  91,) 
but  do  not  cut  off.     First  plow  the  rabbets. 


SMALL    BOXES 


139 


^ 

> 

So 

V                   V 

> 

"L 

^ 

ii6 

B 

K 

< 

A 

With  the  rabbet-plane  plow  the  rabbets,  3/16"  deep   and   5/1 G" 

wide,  on  what  will  be  the  lower  inside  edge  of  the  sides  and  ends.   This 

is  to  receive  the  bottom.    For  di- 
rections for  rabbeting,  see  p.  72. 
If  the  top  of  the  box  is  to  be 

affixed     with    its    full     thickness 

showing,   as  in   Fig.   186,  A,  no 

rabbet  is  cut  on  the  upper  edges 

of  sides  and  ends.     But  a  neater 

and  stronger  joint  is  the  double 

rabbet  joint  shown  in  Fig.   186, 

B.     If  this  is  to  be  used,  rabbet 

out  the  upper    edges  of  the    12" 

pieces     with      a     rabbet      3/16" 

•deep  and  3/16"  wide. 

Next  saw  off  what  will  be  the 

€nd  pieces  of  the  box  and  block-        ^'^^' '^^-   Methodsof  affixing  top  of  box. 

plane  them  true.     Be  careful  that  both  ends  are  of  exactly  the  same 

size,  5/16"x2%"x3^",  and  all  angles  square.     On  both  ends  of  each 

side  piece,  cut  rabbets,  {Handivorh  in  Wood,  page  179,  No.  24)  with 

the  shoulders  6^"  apart,  the 
rabbet  3/16"  deep,  and  let  the 
surplus  length  remain  for  the 
present.  It  can  be  trimmed  off 
after  the  box  is  put  together. 
See  Fig.  187. 

Make  these  end 
follows :  Score  and 
shoulders  with  the 
and  knife.  From 
score  across  the  edges  for 
proximately    3/16".      With 


rabbets  as 
groove  the 
try-square 
this  line 
ap- 
the 
marking-gage,  gage  on  the 
ends  and  on  the  edges  beyond 
the  shoulders,  a  fine  line,  3/16" 
from  the  side  scored  and 
grooved.  With  the  back-saw,  saw  in  the  groove  down  to  the  gaged  lines. 
Eemove  the  surplus  wood  with  a  chisel,  being  careful  to  keep  angles 


Fig.  187.     Rabbetted  side  of  box. 


140 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  AVOOD 


square  and  surfaces  flat.  The  squareness  of  the  box  depends  absolutely 
upon  the  accuracy  of  this  rabbet  joint.  The  sides  and  ends  may  now  be 
assembled.   Start  brads  (^"  No.  20)  in  lines  J4"  from  the  ends  of  the 

box  ends,  as  in  Fig.  188. 

The  reasons  for  this  careful 
location  are :  at  the  double  dot- 
ted line  Ys"  apart,  the  box  is  to 
be  cut  in  two,  the  upper  part 
making  the  lid  and  the  lower  the 
box  proper,  and  hence  no  brads 
must  be  in  the  way  of  the  saw; 
and,  second,  the  lower  brad  can- 
not safely  be  less  than  y/'  from 
the  lower  edge  on  account  of 
the  inserted  bottom.  Start  the 
brads  so  that  they  will  be  driven 
slightly  outward,  as  in  Fig.  189. 
Drive  the  brads  until  the 
points  just  prick  thru.  Put  a 
little  liquid  glue  on  the  joints, 
Location  of  brads  in  end  of  box.  p^^^  the  parts  together  accu- 
rately, draw  the  sides  up  to  the  ends  with  a  handscrew,  being  care- 
ful to  place  them  so  as  not  to  buckle  the  sides,  drive  the  brads  home 
and  set  them  carefully  with  a  nailset.     Test  the  inside  angles  to  see 


Fig.  189.    Method  of  driving-  brads  in  box. 


that  they  are  exactly  square.  If  instead  of  liquid  glue,  hot  glue  is 
used,  everything  must  be  in  readiness  beforehand,  so  that  the  work 
may  proceed  as  fast  as  possible,  before  the  glue  sets.    Set  aside  to  dry. 


SMALL    BOXES 


141 


/ 

i 

The  neatest  way  to  conceal  the  holes  made  by  the  brads  is  this: 

Sharpen  the  end  of  a  splinter  of  the  same  kind  of  wood  as  the  box 

itself,  so  that  it  just  fits  a  brad 

hole,  dip  the  end  in  glue,  tap  it 

lightly  into  the    hole    with    the 

hammer,  cut  it  off  with  a  sharp 

knife     or     chisel,    sharpen     the 

splinter    again    and    so    proceed 

till  all  the  holes  are  plugged  up. 
While    the    frame    is    drying 

the     top     and    bottom     may     be 

worked  up  according  to   the   di- 
rections given  below. 

When   the   frame   of  the   box 

is  dry,  test  the  upper  and  lower 

edges  on  a  face  plate,    or  some 

perfectly     flat     surface.      If     it 

rocks    at    all,    note    where    and 

carefully  plane  it  flat.     In  doing 

so,   take   care   not   to   bump   the 

toe  or  the  heel  of  the  plane  into  the  inner  arrises  of  the  sides  or  ends, 

as  at  A  and  B,  Fig.  190. 

Another  way  to  bring  the  edges  into  plane,  is  to  lay  a  sheet  of 

sandpaper  (Ko.  1)  on  a  perfectly  flat  surface  and  rub  the  box  back 

and  forth  on  it. 
The  danger  here 
is  of  rounding 
over  the  cor- 
ners, as  at  A 
and  B,  Fig.  191. 
Next  plane  up 
the  top  and  the 
bottom  of  the 
box,  remember- 
ing to  choose  the  better  looking  piece  for  the  top. 

If  the  top  is  to  be  affixed  with  a  butt  joint,  as  in  Fig.  186  A,  it 

may  well  be  thinned  to  ^"  or  even  3/16",  because  if  thin,  it  is  more 

easily  kept  from  warping  by  the  boxed  part  of  the  lid.     Do  not  try 


Fig-.  190.  Take  care  not  to  bump  the 
plane  into  the  inner  arrises  of  the  box, 
as  at  yl,  B. 


Fig.  191.     Danger  of  rounding  the  corners,  as  at  A.,  B. 


142 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


to  fit  the  butt  jointed  top  to  the  exact  size  of  the  box,  but  plane  only 
the  two  faces.     It  can  be  dressed  off  after  it  is  glued  on. 

If  the  top  is  to  be  rabbeted  into  the  sides  and  ends,  as  in  Fig. 
186,  B,  these  rabbets  in  the  top  may  now  be  plowed.  Plane  up  the 
top  square,  but  slightly  larger  than  it  will  be  when  the  box  is  fin- 


Fig.  192.    Gluing  the  top  on  to  the  box. 


ished.  Plow  out  the  rabbets  3/16"  deep,  and  wide  enough,  just  over 
y%\  so  that  the  top  will  fit  easily  into  its  place.  The  bottom  is  to 
be  5/16"  thick,  and  to  be  fitted  exactly  into  the  space  rabbeted  for  it. 
Clean  out  any  dried  glue  that  there  may  be  in  the  corners,  apply  a 


SMALL    BOXES 


143 


thin  film  of  glue  to  the  joints,  brad  the  bottom  firmly  into  place, 
driving  the  brads  thru  the  bottom  up  into  the  sides,  and  then  set 
their  heads. 

Fasten  the  top  without  brads  using  only  glue,  hot  glue,  if  pos- 
sible. Since  it  has  not  yet  been  dressed  to  exact  size,  take  care  that 
the  edges  overlap  all  around. 

In  gluing  on  the  top  protect  both  it  and  the  bottom  by  placing 
between  the  box  and  the  hand  screws  other  boards,  otherwise  the 
pressure  of  the  handscrews  may  bend  and  even  crack  the  top  and 
bottom.    Use  plenty  of  handscrews.     (See  Fig.  192.) 

When  dry,  say  in  six  hours,  dress  off,  sawing,  if  necessary,  the  pro- 
jecting ends  and  edges.     Take  care  not  to  splinter  the  corners. 

Next,  cut  the  box 
in  two  thus:  With  the 
marking-gage,  gage  two 
parallel  lines,  ^4"  and 
J^"  respectively,  from 
the  upper  surface  of 
the  top.  Between  these 
two  lines  saAv  the  box 
apart  with  the  back- 
saw.  Fig.  193.  For  a 
larger  box,  the  rip-saw 
would  be  used. 

Now   plane   each  set 

of  edges  separately,  first  ^ig"-  l^^-    sawing-  the  box  apart. 

to  the  gaged  line,  and  then  test  on  a  face  plate,  (flat  surface)  to  see 
that  they  are  in  a  plane.  Finally  test  the  cover  thus :  Lay  it  in  place 
and  tap  each  corner  with  the  finger  to  see  if  it  rests  firm  there.  Ex- 
amine the  crack  all  around  and  correct  any  errors.  Eound  the  external 
arrises  if  desired  (See  Fig.  194)  but  in  any  case  do  not  leave  them 
sharp,  except  where  the  box  and  its  lid  meet.  Clean  up  and  sandpaper. 
Setting  the  hinges.  (See  Handworlc  in  Wood,  pp.  131-133.)  The 
hinges  should  be  set  about  the  length  of  the  hinge  from  the  ends  of  the 
box.  Mark  with  the  knife  the  length  of  the  hinge  on  the  edge  of  the 
back  of  the  box,  taking  the  length  of  the  hinge  from  the  hinge  itself, 
by  superposition.  {HandworJc  in  Wood,  p.  204).  Square  across  the 
edge  with  the  try-square  and  knife.   Do  this  for  both  hinges.   Hold  the 


144 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


lid  of  the  box  in  its  proper  place  on  the  box  as  it  will  rest  when  shut, 
and  mark  the  places  for  the  hinges  on  the  edge  of  the  back  of  the  lid, 
and  square  across  for  both  hinges.  Between  these  lines  on  both  the  in- 
side and  outside  of  the  box  and  of  the  lid,  gage  the  proper  depth  of  the 
notch,  i.  e.,  one  half  the  thickness  of  the  knuckle  of  the  hinge. 

Chisel  out  the  notches,  set  the  hinges  in  place,  drill  or  brad-awl  the 
holes  for  a  tight  fit  and  drive  the  screws.     Lubricate  tliem  with  soap 


Fig-  194      A  stationery  box,  external  arrises  slightly  rounded. 

before  driving;  otherwise  they  may  break.  If  rightly  done  the  lid 
should  shut  tight  all  around  with  no  springing  back.  If  it  does  spring 
back,  the  hinges  are  set  too  deep,  and  it  is  necessary  to  loosen  the  screws 
and  set  in  a  shaving  under  the  hinge.  If  there  is  a  gap  between  the 
box  and  the  lid  at  the  back,  the  hinges  need  to  be  set  in  a  little  more 
deeply.  If  the  sides  of  the  lid  do  not  lie  flush  with  the  sides  of  the 
box,  one  hinge  is  set  further  toward  the  outside  side  of  the  box  than 
the  other.  If  this  difference  is  very  slight,  it  may  be  corrected  by  loos- 
ening the  screws  a  little  and  gently  but  firmly  twisting  the  lid  around 
in  the  right  direction.     If  the  discrepancy  is  great,  notice  carefully 


SMALL    BOXES  145 

where  the  error  is,  take  out  the  screws  that  are  wrongly  placed,  cut  little 
plugs  of  wood,  dip  in  glue,  drive  into  the  screw  holes,  and  bore  new 
holes  for  the  screws. 

If  a  lock  is  needed  for  the  box,  see  Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  134,  for 
directions  for  inserting  it. 

If  the  box  has  been  made  of  mahogany  it  may  now  be  stained  in  the 
same  way  as  the  candle-stick.    See  p.  92. 

It  looks  well  to  stain  only  the  outside  including  the  edges  where 
the  lid  meets  the  box,  and  to  leave  the  inside  unstained,  as  in  Fig.  191:. 

When  the  stain  is  thoroly  dry,  and  the  surface  well  rubbed  down 
with  steel  wool,  give  the  outside  a  coat  of  Wheeler's  Patent  Paste 
Wood  Filler,  No.  7,  (see  Handivorh  in  Wood,  p.  213).  Mix  this  filler 
with  enough  turpentine  to  make  it  the  consistency  of  thin  paste, 
apply  with  a  brush  with  the  grain,  and  as  it  dries,  but  before  it  sets 
hard,  rub  off  the  surplus  carefully  across  the  grain.  The  object  of 
the  filler  is  to  fill  up  the  pores  of  the  w^ood  and  give  a  smooth  even 
surface.  The  filler  should  dry  for  twenty-four  hours.  Then  apply 
successive  coats  of  shellac,  rubbed  down  with  steel  wool,  and,  if  de- 
sired, French  polish  it.     (See  Handwork  in  Wood,  p.  217.) 

If  the  box  is  of  walnut,  no  stain  is  needed.  A  black  filler 
(Wheeler  No.  10)  will  darken  it  a  little. 

If  the  design  of  the  box  calls  for  a  projecting  bottom  and  top,  as 
in  Fig.  185,  No.  3,  several  parts  of  the  construction  are  different. 
The  sides  and  ends  are  not  rabbeted  to  receive  either  bottom  or  top, 
which  are  glued  and  nailed  directly  on  their  edges. 

In  gluing  on  a  top  which  has  been  finished  to  size,  and  perhaps 
made  with  molded  edges,  pains  must  be  taken  not  to  let  it  slip  when 
the  pressure  of  the  handscrews  is  applied.  One  method  of  prevent- 
ing this  is  as  follows :  drive  four  brads  into  the  upper  edges  of  the 
sides,  bite  off  the  heads  with  the  nippers  and  sharpen  the  projectino' 
points.  Set  the  top  exactly  in  place  and  press  it  down  so  that  the 
brads  will  penetrate.  When  the  glue  is  applied  see  that  the  brads 
enter  the  same  holes,  and  the  top  will  remain  true  in  place. 

If  the  box  frame  is  not  to  be  cut  in  two,  but  the  cover  consists  of 
only  a  top  board  suitably  molded  or  otherwise  decorated,  care  must 
of  course  be  taken  to  select  a  w^ell  seasoned  piece  without  any  in- 
clination to  warp.  The  hinges  in  this  case  should  be  set  entirely  into 
the  edges  of  the  back. 


10- 


146  DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 

Instead  of  the  rabbet  joint  described,  which  has  the  disadvantage 
of  the  brad  holes  showing,  several  others  are  feasible  as  described  in 
Handwork  in  Wood,  page  187. 

Box  construction  of  a  more  simple  form  may  be  made  use  of  in 
making  bird-houses,  as  shown  in  Fig.  195.  The  necessity  for  mak- 
ing opposite  sides  of  exactly  the  same  size  holds  here  as  in  all  rect- 
angular boxes. 


Chapter  XIII 

LANTEENS 

This  project  consists  essentially  of  a  frame  covered  with  translu- 
cent paper  or  cloth.  Fig.  196.  It  may  be  worked  out  in  two  dif- 
ferent ways,  either  as  a  hanging  lantern,  Fig.  197,  suspended  by 
chains,  or  a  lantern  supported  on  the  wall  by  a  suitable  hook,  or  on 
a  bracket.  Fig.  196,  Nos.  1  and  4. 

Either  form  may  be  so  designed  as  to  be  lit  either  by  a  candle 
or  by  an  electric  light.  The  electric  light  is,  of  course,  safer.  In 
case  a  candle  is  used,  a  suitable  socket  and  pan  for  the  candle  are 
essential,  and  the  lantern  mu^  be  large  enough  so  that  the  flame  of 
the  candle  cannot  set  fire  to  it.  In  the  case  of  the  wall  lantern,  the 
wall  may  be  protected  by  a  metal  screen.  Aside  from  these  considera- 
tions, considerable  latitude  is  possible. 

The  wood  chosen  for  this  project  is  yellow  poplar  because  it  is 
not  likely  to  be  split  by  the  fastenings  used.  It  has,  besides,  a 
smooth  even  texture  that  finishes  well. 

In  a  project  as  nearly  rectangular  as  this,  the  chief  consideration 
is  to  have  a  satisfying  relation  of  height  to  width;  that  is,  the  faces 
are  to  be  pleasing  rectangles  rather  than  squares. 

The  embellishments  may  take  various  forms.  In  Figs.  197  and 
198,  both  the  hanging  lantern  and  wall  lantern  have  the  simplest 
possible  frame  with  the  interest  centering  in  the  stencils  cut  on  the 
paper.  In  Fig.  196,  Nos.  2  and  3,  the  pattern  is  made  by  the  slats 
cross-lapped.  The  chain  instead  of  being  simple,  as  in  Fig.  197,  may 
have  links  of  varying  lengths. 

Since  in  Fig.  196,  Fos.  1  and  4,  the  lantern  consists  of  a  screen 
set  on  a  bracket  which  also  holds  the  candle,  the  design  of  the 
bracket  should  harmonize  with  the  screen.  (See  Handwork  in  Wood, 
page  185). 

147 


148 


DESIGX   AXD  COXSTIfUCTIOX   ]N    WOOL) 


SMALL    BOXES 


149 


Fig-.  1%,     Lanterns. 


150  DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 

I.     The  suspended  lantern  with  the  wood  fret,  Fig.  190,  No.  2. 

The  wood  selected  for  this  is  yellow  poplar,  5/16"  thick.  The 
following  sizes  are  required : 

For  the  corners,  which  may  be  called  stiles, 

4  pieces,  5/i6"x^"x8", 

4  pieces,  5/i6"x7/i6"x8". 
For  the  cross-pieces,  which  may  be  called  rails, 

4  pieces,  5/i6"xi5^"x4^"    (upper  rails), 
4  pieces,  5/i6"xi^"x4^"   (lower  rails). 
All  to  be  of  exactly  the  same  length  and  properly  shaped  before  assembling. 

For  the  horizontal  cross  slats, 

4  pieces  5/i6"x^"x4^". 
For  the  muntins   (vertical  slats), 

8  pieces  5/i6"x^"x5i4". 

Prepare  all  these  pieces,  remembering  that  it  is  easier  to  work 
with,  as  long  pieces  as  it  is  convenient  to  plane  and  then  to  cut  these 
up  to  the  proper  lengths  afterward.  Since  there  is  a  considerable 
number  to  be  cut  to  the  same  length,  fasten  a  stop  at  the  proper  place 
in  the  miter-box  and  saw  off  the  pieces,  measuring  mechanically  by 
that  means.     See  Fig.  1-31. 

If  these  are  carefully  cut  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  dress  the 
ends  of  the  rails  or  slats.  The  ends  of  the  stiles  should  be  carefully 
smoothed.     Shape  the  rails  with  chisel  and  spokeshave. 

Next  lay  out  and  cut  and  fit  the  cross-lap  joints  of  the  slats. 
(Directions  for  making  this  joint  are  given  on  p.  155  of  Handwork  in 
Wood).    Glue  these  together. 

Next  make  up  the  corner  posts  by  gluing  together,  as  in  Fig.  190. 

When  dry,  dress  off  the  outer  surfaces  of  the  joints  so  that  they 
will  be  quite  flush.     The  whole  may  now  be  assembled. 

On  a  flat  board,  leaving  a  space  about  1"  wider  than  the  entire 
width  of  the  lantern,  nail  strips  of  wood  about  9"  long  parallel  to 
each  other,  as  A,  A,  Fig.  200.  Prepare  two  wedges,  B,  B,  8"  long, 
5/16"  thick,  and  tapering  from  ^"  wide  to  a  point,  and  a  buffer 
strip,  C. 

Lay  the  pieces  of  one  side,  outside  down,  in  their  proper  position 
in  this  space.  Put  in  the  strip  C  and  drive  in  the  wedges  B,  B,  mak- 
ing all  true  and  square,  and  seeing  that  there  is  no  buckle. 

At  all  the  joints  drive  in  3/16"  corrugated  fasteners.  Repeat 
on  all  sides.     Stain  the  whole  with  brown  oil  stain  and  rub  welh 


LANTERNS 


151 


Find  some  brown  or  manilla  paper  which  gives  a  pleasing  color 
by  transmitted  light,  and  glue  on  the  inside  of  the  four  sides  with 
liquid  glue.      Eaw  silk  and  grass  cloth  are  also  very  effective. 

Fasten  with  glue 
and  brads  two  nar- 
row cleats  5/l(>" 
square,  and  3"  long, 
on  the  inside  of  two 
opposite  sides  near 
the  bottom,  as  at  a. 
Fig.    301. 

On  these  fasten 
with  brads  a  strip,  h, 
running  across  the 
lantern  inside.  To 
the  middle  of  this  is 
to  be  screwed  a  cop- 
per candle  holder 
(socket  and  pan), 
made  as  described  on 
p.  92.  The  simplest 
saucer  to  make  is 
round  and  ham- 
mered convex  w^th  a 
horn  hammer  into  a 
mold  cut  out  of  hard 
wood. 

Screw  four  small 
sere  w-e  y  e  s  ( No. 
214>4)  (14  gage 
wire,  3/16"  hole)  in- 
to   each    of    the    upper  ^''"8"  l'''^     Hanging-  lantern. 

inside  corners,  by  means  of  which  and  a  copper  chain  or  wire  the 
lantern  may  be  hung. 

The  hanging  lantern  shown  in  Fig.  197  is  simpler  still  in  con- 
struction, since  there  is  no  fret-work.  In  this  style  of  lantern  Jap- 
anese stencils  are  used.     In  making  it,  buy  the  four  stencils,  first," 

^'These  can  be  obtained  in  New  York  of  O.  Shima,  20  East  33rd  Street, 
at  a  cost  of  about  25c  each. 


^^^^^^^H  —'"———— nrnrm  III  i.  ■ ii,i 


152 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


and  make  the  lantern  to  fit  them.  The  paper  of  which  these  stencils 
are  made  is  almost  opaque.  If  a  more  translucent  effect  is  desired, 
oil  the  stencils.     Or,  the  stencils,  as  shown  in  Fig.  198,  may  be  traced 

from  the  original  Jap- 
anese stencil  on  brown 
writing  paper  or  other 
suitable  material,  and 
then  cut  out  wdth  a 
sharp  knife  point  on  a 
piece  of  glass.  In  this 
way,  fine  clear  edges 
can  be  obtained. 

II.  Wall  lanterns. 
In  making  the  screen 
and  bracket,  shown  in 
Figs.  198  and  202, 
make  the  screen  first. 
The  stiles  and  upper 
rails  are  all  of  the 
same  thickness 
width,  5/16"x3^". 
l)ottom  rails  are 
wide.      On    the    whole 

Fig.  198.     Wall  lantern.  -j-|^g     simplcst    joiut      for 

such  small  pieces  is  the  end-lap.  Dress  up  all  the  parts  and  cut  to 
the  desired  lengths,  (stiles  Sy/'  long,  rails  3^").  The  fitting  to- 
gether is  a  fine  delicate  job,  requiring  twelve  distinct  joints.  If  the 
lantern  is  made  larger,  say  twice  as  large,  the  joints  may  be  butt 
joints  and  doweled  together.  (For  directions,  see 
Handivorh  in  ^Vood^  p.  152,  No.  8).  Or,  it  may  be 
put  together  with  corrugated  fasteners,  as  in  the 
hanging  lantern  (Fig.  200). 

To  make  the  end  lap  joint  see  Handwork  in 
Wood,  p.  156,  Mo.  IG.  When  the  parts  are  glued 
together  and  dry,  the  30°  bevel  should  be  planed  off 
on  both  long  edges  of  all  the  panels.  Make  the  bottom  of  the  screen 
j^"  thick  in  the  form  shown  in  the  plan  in  Fig.  202,  i.  e.,  half  a  hexa- 
gon, so  that  its  sides  shall  be  just  equal  to  the  short  (inside)  width 
of  the  panels. 


and 
The 

5/8" 


I — n 

« 


Fig-.  199.    Cor- 
ner    posts  of 


LANTLRNS 


153 


To  lay  out  the  hexagon,  with  a  compass,  draw  a  circle  whose 
radius  is  equal  to  the  desired  length  of  one  of  the  six  sides.  As  only 
half  the  circle  is  required  place  one  leg  of  the  compass  on  the  edge 
of  the  board.     From  the  point  where  the  circumference  touches  the 


A 


/VsA 


h^ 


ills. 


A-s/\ 


^T 


/SVN 


fl 


B 


B 


^ 


Qi 


Cb 


Fig.  200.    Method  of  clamping  up  the  parts. 

edge  of  the  board,  step  off  on  the  circumference  a  distance  equal  to 
the  radius.  Eepeat  from  the  opposite  point  of  the  circumference, 
and  connect  by  straight  lines  the  points  thus  obtained,  a,  h,  c,  d,  and 
the  half-hexagon  desired  is  drawn.  Also  inscribe  a  smaller  circle  of 
2^"  radius  to  make  room  for  the  candle-stick  which  is  fastened  to 
the  bracket.     See  Fig.  202.     Saw  and  plane  out  this  shape. 


154 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


For  gluing  the  panels  together,  prepare  a  few  forms  of  the  shape 
shown  in  Fig.  203.  Put  a  thin  film  of  glue  (liquid  glue  will  do)  on 
those  edges  of  the  panels  which  are  to  be  jointed,  and  with  small 
brads,  (1"  No.  18)  nail  the  panels  in  place  to  the  half  hexagon  bot- 
tom.    Clamp  the  panels  together  with  small  handscrews,  using  the 


Fig,  201.     Working  drawing-  of  lantern  shown  in  Fig.  1%. 

forms  just  made.  See  Ilandworlc  in  Wood,  p.  171,  Fig.  258,  and 
p.  170,  2nd  paragraph.     When  dry,  clean  up. 

The  frame  should  be  stained  and  finished  before  the  stencils  are 
put  on.  Hence  it  is  better  to  make  the  bracket  next,  so  that  all  the 
staining  may  be  done  together.  See  below  for  directions  for  making 
the  bracket. 

The  stencils  are  cut  out  of  sheets  of  brown  paper  which  fit  the 
insides  of  the  panels.     (See  p.  152.) 

Cut  three  pieces  of  silk  of  the  same  size  as  the  stencils,  and  of  an 
harmonious   tint,   and   tack  both  paper   and   silk,    (silk  toward   the 


LANTERNS 


155 


candle)  to  the  inside  edges  of  the  panels  by  means  of  thin  strips  of 
wood  and  small  brads,  say  ^",  No.  20.  Tack  these  strips  all  around 
the  inside  of  each  panel. 

The  shelf  of  the  bracket  should  conform  in  design  to  the  lantern. 
The  material  for  the  bracket  mav  also  be  5/16"  thick.     If  possible 


Fig.  202,.     Working-  drawing-  of  lantern  shown  in  Fig.  198 

make  all  the  parts,  shelf,  back,  and  two  supports,  out  of  one  board, 
planing  first  the  working  face  and  working  edge,  and  the  exact  thick- 
ness. Lay  out  the  plans  on  this  and  cut  out  roughly.  The  shelf  over- 
hangs the  back  when  assembled.  The  back  and  shelf  can  now  be 
finished  exactly  to  shape  by  means  of  the    plane,  or  if  irregular  in 


156 


DESIGN  AND  CONSTRUCTION  IN  WOOD 


shape  with  the  spokeshave  and  chisel  also.     In  order  to  make  the  two 
supports  exactly  alike,  glue  them  together  thus:    Put  a  touch  of  glue 

at  several  points  on  one  piece, 
press  a  piece  of  paper  over  it, 
put  glue  on  the  other  side  of 
the  paper  at  the  points  oppo- 
site those  already  glued,  lay  on 
the  other  piece  and  clamp  to- 
gether. When  dry,  proceed  as 
if  they  were  one  piece,  finishing  carefully.  When  shaped,  they  may 
be  pried  apart  with  a  chisel,  and  what  little  glue  adheres  may  be 
planed  off.     Or,  the  two  pieces  may  be  handscrewed  together,  while 


Fig.  203      Block  for  clamping  lantern 
panels  together. 


^                   f\                   <i>                  (^ 

U                            0                1            '*                                       1 

u       1  1                                   1 

Fig.  205.     Methods  of  hanging  the  bracket. 

they  are  shaped.     Assemble  the  parts  of  the  bracket  as  in  Fig.  204. 
First  draw  light  pencil  lines  on  the  top  of  the  shelf  and  on  the  back 
of  the  back,  to  indicate  where  the  brads  (1"  No.  18)  are  to  be  driven 
into  the  supports,  start  two  brads  along 
each  of  these  lines,  driving  them  thru 
the  boards  until  the  points  prick  thru, 
and   also   driving   brads   thru  the   shelf 
to  go  into  the  back.  > 

Kow,  holding  one  of  the  supports  in 
the  vise,  lay  the  back  on  it  in  its  proper 
place  and  drive  in  the  brad  nearest  the 
shelf.  By  means  of  the  try-square  hold 
the  back  exactly  in  place  over  this  sup- 
port, and  drive  in  the  other  brad.  Ee- 
peat  with  the  other  support. 

Next    brad    the  shelf    and  back 
gether,    having  the    shelf  overhang 
back.       See     that     the     supports 
squarely   in  place    and  drive  home 
brads  thru  the  top  into  them 


to- 
tlie 
are 

,,  Fig  204.    Location  of  brads. 

the 
Stain  the  bracket  to  match  the  screen. 


LANTERNS  157 

For  hanging  the  bracket,  gain  into  the  back  small  copper  or  brass 
strips  with  holes  in  them,  as  shown  in  Fig.  205,  or  insert  small  screw- 
eyes  (No.  214^)  at  the  back  edge  of  the  shelf.  Place  these  hang- 
ers so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  screen. 

If  electricity  is  available  it  is  of  course  much  safer  to  have  a 
small  electric  light  bulb  take  the  place  of  the  candle. 


INDEX 


Ammonia,   100,   110. 

Ash,  White,   4,   18. 

Auger-bit-gage,  105. 

Bastard  board,   15. 

Batchelder,     Ernest     A.       Design     in 

Theory   and   Practice,   22,    124. 
Batter,  112. 
Beads,  78. 
Beauty,    23. 
Bench,    28,    29. 
Bird-houses,    146,    147. 
Bit  holder,   64. 

Blotter-holder,    132,    Chap.    XI,    133. 
Board  foot,   16. 
Board  measure,  16. 
Boring,   62,    64,    91,   103,    104,    108,   117, 

118. 
Boxes,   Chap.  XII,   137. 
Bracket,   155. 
Brads.     See  nailing. 
Bruises  in  wood,   108. 
Dowel-plates,   103,   106. 
Candlestick,  82,  Chap.  VII,   83. 
Carving,    68,    124. 
Chamfer,   42,   80,   91. 
Chestnut,  9,  99. 
Chiseling,  47,   60,   63,  111. 
Clamps,    105. 
Color,    25,   67,   68. 
Comb-grain,  15. 
Combustibility  of  wood,  13. 
Compass  holder,   64. 
Composition,  22,  24. 
Construction,  21,  22,   35,  133. 
Convenience,    23. 
Copper,  9,  40,  83,  92. 
Corrugated  fasteners,   150. 
Cove,   89,   130. 
Cut-iout,    70. 
Cylinder,  copper,   93. 
Cypress,    3,    9,   17,   35,   99. 
Day,    Lewis    P.      The    application    of 

ornament   22. 
Decoration,    26,    36,    78,    83,    124,    129, 

133,   137. 
Depth-gage,  127. 
Design,   9,   10,   21,  22,  125. 
Dow    Arthur  W.     Composition,   22,  65. 
Dowel-pins,  103,  106. 
Dowel-rod,   133. 


Embellishments,   83,   149. 

Emery  cloth,   94,   95. 

Equipment,    29. 

Essentials,   Fixing  of,   26,   35,   83,   115, 

123,  133,  137,  149. 
Figure,   16. 
File,   130. 
Filler,   145. 
Finish,  25,  27,  37,  56. 
Flower-pot  stands,   97. 
Fuming,   100,   110. 
Gaging,  43. 
Glass  cutting,   76,   77. 
Glue,    33,    74,    79,    102,    105,    108,    140, 

142,   143,   145,   150,  156. 
Gouge,    89,   126. 
Grain,    16. 

Gum,  Sweet,  4,  9,  19,   83,  123,  133. 
Handscrews,   19,   105,   110,   138. 
Handwork  in  wood,   17,   foot  note   25, 

29,   33,    38,    39,   43,   44,   45,   55,   59,   60, 

61,   62,   71,   73,   74,   75,   76,    79,    87,   91, 

92,    94,    102,    104,    105,    109,    111,    113, 

118,  119,  127,  128,  130,  131,   137,  138, 

139,   143,   145,   146,  149,   152,  154. 
Hexagon,   Laying  out,   153. 
Hickory,   9,  115. 
Hinges,    Setting,    143. 
Inlay,  137. 

Japanese  prints,  65,  70. 
Japanese  stencils,  151. 
Joints,   22. 
Joint: 

B^utt,  9,  90,  141. 

Cross-lap,  9,  83,  87,  99,   102,  150. 

Draw-bolt,   28. 

End-lap,   9,    51,   152. 

Ledge,   9 

Miter,  9,  51. 

Miortise  and  tenon,  28,  90,   117. 

Notched,   111. 

Rabbet,    142. 

Rubbed,    9,   109. 
Lanterns,  148,  Chap.  XIII,  149. 
Lathe,    104,    135,    136. 
Leaf  press,   57. 
Letter-tray,  56,  57. 
Line,   24. 
Mahogany,    4,    9,    14,    19,    69,    83,    88, 

137. 


158 


INDEX 


159 


Mallet,  10,  Chap.  IX,  115. 

Maple,  9,  69,  115. 

Margins,  65,  67. 

Marking-  gage,   43,   44,   45,   49,   61,   143. 

Mass,   23. 

Mat  65,   66,   68,  69. 

Material  and  form,  22. 

Miter  box,  51,  55,  64,  74,  103,  105,  150. 

Moisture  in  wood,   14. 

Mold   for  hammering   copper,    97. 

Moldings  for  pictures,  78,  80. 

Mounting  of  pictures,   69,    70. 

Nailing,  14,  51,  53,  54,  75,  90,  91,  104, 

140,    145,   156. 
Nail   set,   53. 
Nail   set  holder,    64. 
Nosing,   78. 
Notan,   24. 

Oak,  White.   3.   9,  14,   18,   69,  137. 
Octagon,   Laying   out,    109,   110. 
Ogee,    131. 

Oil,   9,   25,  64,  84,  100,  110,  131. 
Pan,   92,   94,   151. 
Paper,    Cover,    69. 
Pencil  holder,   64, 
Paper,   Manilla,   77,   151. 
Picture   frame.  Chap.  VI,   65. 
Picture-frame-clamp,  10,  58,   59,   74. 
Pine,   White,   3,   9,   li,   17,   70,   87. 
Pith  ,rays,   14. 

Plane,  Adjustment  of,   39,   41,   42. 
Planing,    39,    41,    42,    46,    48,    63,    102, 

120,   141,  150. 
Plates,    Brass,    109. 
Polish,    French,   131. 
Poplar,  Yellow,  4,   9,   18,   59,   149. 
Properties  of  wood,  13,  14. 
Proportions,    Refining    of,    26,    36,    83, 

99,   124,   137. 
Quarter-sawing,   15. 
Rabbeting,  71,   73,   138,  139. 
Raymond,   Geo    Lansing.      Proportion 

and    Harmony    of    Line    and    Color, 

22. 
Rift  board,   15. 
Rings,  Annual,  14,  117. 
Sandpaper,   50,   75,   88,   108,   128. 
Saw,    Back,    63,    74,    75,    108,    111,    121, 

139,  143. 
Saw,  Coping,   95. 
Sawing,   Cross  cut,   38,   41,   119. 


Sawing,  Rip,  45,  60,  120. 

Saw,  Turning,   111. 

Scoring,    48. 

Scrap-basket.     Chap.  IV,  35. 

Scraper,   128. 

Screw,  64. 

Screw-box,   133. 

Screw  eyes,   77,   151,   157. 

Shellac,   9,  25,   117,   131. 

Shrinkage  of  wood,  14,   15. 

Skill,  9. 

Slash-grain,    15. 

Slip-feather,  75. 

Snips,  92,  94. 

Socket,  92,  95,   151. 

Soldering,   93. 

Soundness    of   construction,   22. 

Spline,    75. 

Spoke   shave,   61,    120,   121,  130. 

Spruce,  3,  17. 

Square,  Steel,  112. 

Stain,   9,   33,    56,   76,    92,   110,   145,    150. 

Steel  wool,  121,  131,   145. 

Structure  and  design,   22. 

Structure  of  wood,   14. 

Supplies,   33. 

Tables,  Small,  98,   100. 

Taborets.     Chap.  VIII,  99. 

Tapering,    89. 

Tee  bevel,  52,  63,   119. 

Templet,    119,    127,    135. 

Tools,   29,   30. 

Trays,    122,    Chap.    X,    123. 

.ray,  Glass,   80. 

Try-square,    40,    43,    44,    49,    117. 

Turning  saw,   111,    129. 

Upholstery   nails,   55. 

Utility  and  beauty,  26. 

Varnish,   25. 

Vise,    29,   30. 

Walnut,  Black,   9,   83,  88,  137. 

Warping  of  wood,   15. 

Wax,   9,   57. 

Wedge,  Method  of  making,  121. 

White  wood,    9.      See   Poplar,   Yellow. 

Wire,  Binding,  93,  94. 

Woiod,   13. 

Wood   and   Forest,    16,    foot   note    26, 

118. 
Woods,  Common.   3.  4. 


39o 


7 


06 


BOSTON  COLLEGE 


3  9031    030  78852  5 


